Viability of Umbilical Cord Blood for Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Aim: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) can be used for haematopoietic stem transplant (HSCT) since it contains a sufficient number of haematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells. Viability of cord blood is an important parameter in assessing UCB quality as a viable HSCT graft source. We assessed the viability of cord blood between the time of collection and processing, and find out the relationship between viability count and processing time.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, South-South, Nigeria; among 40 newborn babies delivered at 37-40 weeks.

Methodology: A total of forty umbilical cord blood specimens were collected from the placenta after delivery. Viability count was done with molecular exclusion dye (7-aminoactinomycin D) using flow cytometer. Mean, standard deviation and correlation study were done using SPSS version 21.

Results: The mean viability count was 90.0 ± 9.57% with a range of 60.0 - 98.2%. The study showed a negative correlation between viability and processing time (r = -0.859, p=0.000).

Conclusion: The study showed that the delayed in the processing of cord blood affected the viability count.