You cannot keep your blood for private use at home or in a facility, but you can keep umbilical cord blood for family use at a private blood bank. The process is expensive, but it has its advantages.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Knowing the Requirements for Storing Blood
Step 1. Don't try to keep it at home
Blood must be stored under precise conditions, even the slightest mistake can make it unusable. In addition, medical facilities do not accept blood stored at home for transfusions, for study or for any other use, due to the high levels of impurities it may develop.
Using or attempting to use blood stored in locations other than approved blood storage facilities is also illegal
Step 2. Find out about the maximum freezing time for blood and its components
Blood stored for short-term use at a public blood bank or transfusion center is kept in a special refrigerator that maintains an ideal temperature constant.
- Fresh and whole blood and platelets are stored between 20 ° and 24 ° C. Whole blood stays fresh for 24 hours, while platelets can stay fresh for 5 days. Platelets also need to be shaken continuously.
- Red blood cells are stored between 2 ° and 6 ° C, red blood cells without white blood cells are kept for 42 days, red blood cells without pediatric white blood cells resist for 35 days, while red blood cells without washed white blood cells are maintained for 28 days.
- The plasma is stored at at least -25 ° C and can be stored for 12 months.
Step 3. Know the effects of freezing blood
For long-term storage, a blood bank may freeze whole blood or blood components. Once frozen, it can be safely stored for 10 years.
- When frozen with liquid nitrogen, cord blood can remain viable for up to 20 years.
- Most hospitals and transfusion centers prefer to avoid frozen blood because it is not as practical as storing fresh blood in a refrigerator.
- Blood is rarely stored frozen, unless there are special circumstances that warrant it.
- It takes a minimum of two hours to thaw a unit of frozen blood. Usually, only 80% of the drive is usable later.
Step 4. Follow the standard blood storage procedures used to keep it safe
Because blood can easily become unusable if stored at a low temperature or improperly, legally recognized facilities to store blood must follow strict protocols.
- The equipment used to extract and store blood is pre-sterilized to avoid contamination.
- Blood refrigerators are equipped with monitoring systems. The refrigerator temperature is usually recorded every 4 hours and an alarm sounds if the temperature reaches a point too close to the extreme storage limit.
- If a storage unit breaks down, the components stored inside must be moved to another unit within a certain time.
- Handling is reduced to a minimum and is done in such a way as to minimize the risk of contamination. When moved from the refrigerator or freezer, red blood cell components are not kept outside at room temperature for more than 30 minutes.
- The blood is stored in a way that minimizes crowding and allows for adequate air circulation. Quarantined components are never stored on top of other components and platelet bags are never stacked.
Part 2 of 2: Storing the Blood in a Private Blood Bank
Step 1. Understand the purpose of private blood banks
Deprived blood banks, also called umbilical cord blood banks, collect blood from the umbilical cord of babies at the time of their birth. This blood is processed and preserved for the future.
Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can turn into any type of blood or immune system cell if injected into a body. As a result, they can be used to help your child, you, or someone else in the family if you develop certain diseases
Step 2. Evaluate the pros and cons
Cord blood can save lives, but it is rarely needed. The main decision to make before storing cord blood at a private bank is simply whether the extra insurance is worth the money.
- Cord blood stem cells can be used to help treat patients with leukemia, bone marrow cancer, lymphomas, neuroblastoma, certain red blood cell abnormalities, Gaucher disease, Hurler's syndrome, and some immune system diseases. They can also help the body recover after treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- Early research suggests these cells may also help treat diseases such as diabetes, cerebral palsy, autism, and some heart defects.
- Stem cells harvested from cord blood are less likely to be rejected than stem cells harvested from adult bone marrow.
- There is some debate over the effectiveness of cord blood stem cells when treating genetic diseases, as cord blood most likely contains the same genetic defects that are responsible for the disease.
- If another member of your family needs stem cells, there is only a 25% chance these cells will be fine genetically.
- The costs are quite high. On average, the commissions to be paid in the first year vary between € 1,100 and € 1,800, while the annual costs for storage can vary between € 90 and € 120.
- The chances of a baby needing his blood are quite low. The precise statistics are uncertain. The journal Obstetrics and Gynecology puts the odds between 1 and 2,700, while the American Academy of Pediatrics puts them between 1 and 200,000.
Step 3. Decide if there is a way to cut costs
In most cases, cord blood storage is not covered by insurance or other health benefits. But some circumstances could make a difference.
- Some private banks may apply discounts to families with a recognized medical need. For example, if a close family member may need a transplant in the near future, a discount is applied. You may also be eligible for a free or discounted deposit if your baby has a prenatal disease that indicates an imminent need for stem cells.
- Some banks may also offer discounts for military families.
- Private banks can offer discounts even if you can advance the fees for a long retention period. There can also be similar discounts for families who keep more than one child's cord blood.
Step 4. Find a good cord blood bank
There are banks for families abroad. You can ask your doctor or hospital to refer you to a reputable private bank, or you can search for lists of private blood banks.
- The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation has an international list of banks for families, you can find it at this address.
- Please note that cost is not necessarily indicative of quality. Some less expensive blood banks may cut spending at the expense of security, but others may have lower costs simply because they spend less on marketing. Reputation is usually the best indicator over the rest. You should also check the qualifications and experience of the bank manager, as well as the economic viability and stability of the company and storage technologies.
Step 5. Include this decision in your birth plan
Once you have found a private bank you want to work with, you should contact them and make arrangements. You should also make sure your doctor and referral hospital are aware of these arrangements at least one month before the baby is born, if not earlier.
Your chosen bank should send you a withdrawal kit. You must give this kit to the hospital or birth center at the time of birth. Even if the hospital does not receive the kit before the birth, you should inform them in advance of your intentions
Step 6. Make sure cord blood is collected after birth
Doctors and nurses should collect blood from your baby's umbilical cord within minutes after birth.
- The procedure usually takes place after the bead has been stopped on both sides and cut. It can occur before or after delivery of the placenta.
- Umbilical blood collection is quick and painless.
- An experienced medical staff can collect the blood by pulling it from the cord with a needle. Alternatively, the cord could be emptied into a pouch and collected that way.
Step 7. Find out what happens after the harvest
After being collected by a doctor or nurse, the blood is packaged in a prepackaged collection kit and sent to the designated blood bank via a pre-determined courier.
- Once the bank receives the blood, it will be processed and tested for contamination. Hopefully, it will be frozen in liquid nitrogen.
- Usually, it is also checked for diseases in the mother's blood.
Step 8. Collect stored blood if needed
Each private blood bank has its own procedures, but if your family needs cord blood stored in the bank, you should be able to notify this and have the blood delivered to the hospital for a transfusion.
- You will likely need medical clearance to show to the blood bank to indicate the need.
- The cord blood will be tested to see if there is a match for the patient in question after it has been removed from storage.
