Evaluation of biological features of cord blood units collected with different methods after cesarean section.

Introduction. Cord blood banks are established worldwide as a result of the increased use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation. The outcomes of this procedure relate to the cell dose of the UCB unit and the UCB collection. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the mode of collection influenced the biological features of the UCB units. XMaterials and methods. We studied 151 UCB units consecutively collected in the cesarean setting with two different methods: in utero after infant delivery and before delivery of the placenta, and ex utero after delivery of placenta. Results. Sixty-nine UCB units were collected in utero and 82 ex utero. The two groups were comparable for maternal and obstetric factors. The proportion of banked UCB units was similar in the two groups (38% vs 40%, respectively). No statistically significant differences were observed between the methods of collection in term of volume, white blood cell count, total nucleated cell content, CD34(+) cells, and CFU-GM. Conclusion. This preliminary study showed that the two methods of collection in the cesarean setting were overlapping and valid if performed according to standard operating procedures.