CORRELATION BETWEEN UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD VOLUME WITHGESTATIONAL AGE AND BIRTH WEIGHT: A BASELINE FOR CORD BLOODBANKS IN PAKISTAN

Placental vessels contain one-third of newborn blood volume termed as umbilical cord blood (UCB). It is an enriched product with many benefits but unfortunately, it is usually discarded as waste. Since the identification of its benefits, many countries have established Cord Blood Banks using UCB for transfusion and transplantation. Despite having a high fertility rate, no such facility is currently present in Pakistan. UCB is used as autologous blood and can also be used as a homologous source. In this study, 200 UCB units (250 ml blood bags; anticoagulant volume adjusted) were collected, volume obtained was calculated and correlated with gestational age and birth weight. Pearsons correlation coefficient has been applied on means that showed a strong positive relationship. In addition, different hematological and biochemical parameters (storage lesion parameters) were measured and mean values were calculated in order to provide baseline values. The study concluded that UCB can be collected in blood bags. More the gestational age and birth weight more will be the blood volume collected. It is recommended to conduct large-scale studies regarding the collection, storage and transfusion of UCB to provide a platform for the establishment of Cord Blood Banks in Pakistan.