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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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Isolation of Precursor B-cell Subsets from Umbilical Cord Blood
Published on: April 16, 2013
Clinical Utility of Routine Umbilical Cord Blood Screening for ABO Incompatibility: A Single-Center Observational
Paige Kube1, David L Carola1, Neera Goyal1
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Nemours Children's Health, Thomas Jefferson University, and Nemours Pediatric Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hospital Pediatrics
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Routine cord blood testing for newborns of blood group O mothers may prevent severe hyperbilirubinemia and NICU admissions. This approach is more effective than selective testing for jaundiced infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Hematology
- Clinical Practice Guidelines
Background:
- Neonates born to blood group O mothers face risks of ABO incompatibility and hyperbilirubinemia.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends two strategies: routine testing or selective testing for jaundiced neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if routine cord blood testing reduces neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions for hyperbilirubinemia due to ABO incompatibility.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective pre-post study analyzed births from 2007-2020 at an urban, university-affiliated hospital.
- The study compared outcomes between a period of routine cord blood evaluation (2007-2012) and a period of selective evaluation (2013-2020).
- Primary outcome was NICU transfer for severe hyperbilirubinemia; secondary outcomes included peak bilirubin levels and IVIG treatment.
Main Results:
- NICU transfers for hyperbilirubinemia due to ABO incompatibility were more frequent under selective testing (0.11% vs 0.03%, P=.01).
- Infants in the selective testing period were more likely to have bilirubin levels at or above exchange transfusion thresholds (0.06% vs 0.01%, P=.02) and receive IVIG (0.06% vs 0%, P=.002).
Conclusions:
- Routine cord blood evaluation for infants of blood group O mothers may be more effective in preventing severe hyperbilirubinemia requiring NICU admission compared to selective testing.
