Singapore Cord Blood Bank services, but retain ownership over the use of their cord blood. Cord blood is the blood that circulates through the umbilical cord from the foetus to the placenta. After delivery, the placenta is almost always thrown away. Yet this humble umbilical cord has become a life saving and precious commodity, because cord blood is rich in blood stem cells. Blood stem cells are young or immature cells that can transform into other forms of essential blood cell types (pluripotent), such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The use of blood stem cells has emerged as a potentially
Percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling are self-resolved within five minutes. The complication of infection has a low incidence rate, and preventative measures are implemented against the risk of infection, such as antibiotic usage and the aseptic technique. However, vertical transmission of a virus such as HIV may occur. Fetal loss may also occur, especially in the presence of several risk factors, including fetal abnormalities, operator errors, placental penetration, and viability of the fetus. Intrahepatic vein fetal blood sampling may be done as an alternative to PUBS. It involves the needle being inserted into the intrahepatic part of the umbilical cord in the fetal abdomen. The