Cord blood stem cell preservation

What is cord blood stem cell preservation?

Cord blood is found in the umbilical cord and is normally discarded, along with the placenta, as waste after the birth. This is the baby’s blood and is rich in stem cells. 1 Cord blood stem cell preservation is a unique, one-time opportunity where blood from your baby’s umbilical cord is safely collected at birth, frozen and stored in purpose built containers.

What are stem cells?

Often referred to as the ‘building blocks of life’ stem cells can develop into many different types of cells, for example red blood cells or other specific body tissue, and are therefore capable of treating specific diseases. 1 There are currently 3 main sources of stem cells: 2

• Bone marrow (adult stem cells)
• Peripheral blood (blood which circulates around your body)
• Umbilical cord blood

Why should I collect and store my baby’s stem cells?

Many families preserve cord blood stem cells because they naturally want to do what they can to safeguard the future health of their child.

It’s considered a form of biological insurance where the reward is the chance of good health as stem cells may be used to treat specific diseases, such as leukemia, when transplanted into the patient. Stem cells are the building blocks of human cells and can form any part of our biological existence from muscles, bones, nerves, blood system and organs. These cells are rare in adult humans. The richest source is the umbilical cord or placenta.3

Over the past 20 years, since the procedure was developed, stem cells have been used in the treatment of many different cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. They restore function to the blood-making and immune system, which is especially valuable if these have been damaged through illness or other treatments, such as chemotherapy. These diseases have, until recently, mainly been treated by bone marrow stem cell and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, since umbilical cord blood stem cells have only been stored since the early 1980s. To date, more than 45 disorders have been treated with stem cells. 4

It’s been stated that the consistency of stem cells from cord blood is 10 to 20 times greater than those provided by bone marrow and significantly higher than those provided by peripheral blood. 5 Research conducted by the International Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry in 2004 estimated that since 1998 one-fifth of stem cell transplants performed for young patients (under 20 years) are cord blood transplants and are mostly for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or acute myelobastic leukaemia. 6

How and when is the cord blood collected?

Aviva have an exclusive arrangement to offer parents this amazing opportunity. Medicare Health & Living Ltd. along with Future Health Technologies in the U.K. provide this service which is at the forefront of medical treatment. Medicare Health & Living currently are the only Irish company authorised to provide this service by the IMB under EU Directives - they supply the tools for the cord blood to be extracted at birth, cryopreserved and stored for 20 years.

The main priority during the birth is to ensure the health of the baby once born. When this is ensured a simple 10 minute procedure, performed by a fully Medicare Health & Living certified healthcare professional, to collect the blood from the umbilical cord blood is followed. Once extracted, the sample is stored in the collection kit and couriered to the U.K. for storage.

Leading the way

As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering the latest advances and  looking out for you and your family’s health, Aviva is giving health members a contribution towards the cost of this remarkable benefit as follows:

*In addition, to comply with Irish Legislation, Maternal Blood tests are required within 30 days leading up to birth and a minimum of 6 months after at a total cost of €330, which is in addition to the above costs. This brings the total cost to €2,780 (single/identical) and €4,740 (non identical twins). Waiting periods apply to some maternity benefits.

If you decide that this is the right option for your family, then the procedure is as follows:

1. Call Medicare Health & Living on 01 201 4900.
2. Medicare will advise you of the requirements that need to be in place with your consultant. They will then forward you an information pack which includes all of the documentation you need to order a cord blood collection kit.
3. You are advised to discuss with your healthcare professional your decision to store baby’s cord blood and the procedure involved.
4. Once you have read through all of the documentation carefully and have made an informed decision to go ahead with cord blood collection, and once the requirements noted below are met, you must call Medicare. Medicare will walk you through what forms need to be completed and returned to them with an initial payment of €695 (€500 for the collection kit + €195 for the initial set of maternal bloods).
5. On receipt of the required documentation and initial payment Medicare will then send you on a cord blood collection kit along with the instructions for your initial set of maternal bloods.
6. The remainder payment will be due after confirmation of a successful sample (usually about 4-6 weeks after birth). Medicare will contact you in advance to inform you when payment is due. Once payment is made, you will be issued with a receipt along with an Aviva health claim form which has been signed by Medicare.

Note 1: Requirements: Under the EU Tissue & Cell Directives, Medicare will not issue collection kits to members unless the hospital and / or the consultant they are attending has signed a Service Level Agreement with Medicare and has completed appropriate training as directed by Medicare. Procurement of cord blood by untrained personnel will render your sample unsuitable for storage. Please contact Medicare Health & Living for further information.