Cord Blood Banking
Cord Blood Banking
Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood is the baby’s blood that remains in the placenta and cord after birth. After
the baby is born, the blood in the placenta and cord is no longer needed and is usually
disposed of carefully. Stem cells taken from cord blood can sometimes be used to treat a
small number of serious health problems.
A cord blood transplant uses blood stem cells to replace diseased cells with healthy new
cells and rebuild an individual’s blood and immune system. For the transplant to be a
success, the new cells must match the individual’s own cells as closely as possible.
In some illnesses, cord blood transplants can be used as an alternative to bone marrow
transplants, to treat some disorders. This has been successful mainly in treating young
patients for leukaemia. Cord blood transplants have both advantages and disadvantages
over bone marrow transplants.
Cord blood banking is collecting and storing cord blood for treating a future disease or
illness. Fernandez Hospital does not do this. Nor do we recommend it, unless a family has
one of the illnesses that cord blood can help to treat.
Types of Cord Blood Banks
Public Banks
Some countries have cord blood banks, to which parents can voluntarily donate cord
blood, to help others. A public bank stores cord blood for use by anyone anywhere in the
world, thus ensuring fair access for all patients requiring stem cell transplantation. It is an
alternative to a volunteer bone marrow donor registry.
If you are considering private banking you should discuss this with your doctor. You may
wish to consider the following points:
• Once you have made a decision about banking, you should let your doctor know.
• There are a number of uncertainties surrounding cord blood storage. For instance,
who owns the cord blood legally? What are your rights if the facility storing the cord
blood breaks down and the cord blood becomes unusable?
• Private Banks are run by private companies. If you decide to bank through a private
company, you will enter into a contract between yourself and the company. It is your
responsibility to check that you are happy with all the terms and conditions of the
contract. Some private companies make additional charges to screen for bacterial
diseases.
Some questions to ask
It is really important for you to know that Fernandez Hospital has NO contract of any kind
with any private cord blood banks. It is also vital for you to know that we NEVER pass any
confidential patient information of any kind to such agencies.
FH/PIL/Obs/CordBloodBanking/0241/Ver4/Jan2020