Assessment of the Quality Parameters of Umbilical Cord Blood for Transfusion

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant with umbilical cord blood has been a standard practice to save the life of many benign and malignant hematological disorders. However, the majority of umbilical cord blood is discarded as biological waste. Many researchers have tried transfusing these products, but their safety is always a concern. The present study aimed to assess the quality parameters of umbilical cord blood to ensure its safety for human transfusion. A prospective observational study was performed in an academic tertiary care hospital in South India. Quality assessment was done for volume, presence of clots, and presence of hemolysis with measurement of plasma hemoglobin, potassium level, Complete Blood Count, and sterility testing. On day one, there was no hemolysis, and the potassium level was within normal range and was comparable to adult whole blood. There was a significant and comparable increase in potassium and plasma hemoglobin levels over the time of storage (p < 0.05). All the UCB units collected were sterile even after 14 days of culture. Our study has shown that UCBs are comparable to adult blood in quality and may be considered for transfusion soon after collection.