Stem Cell Extraction And Placenta Cord Banking
A lot of patients stricken with degenerative diseases and blood disorders, are in need of stem cell therapy. This process involves introduction of new stem cell components to initiate regeneration of healthy cell tissues or blood cells. Stem cells however, are very hard to acquire and the common procedure to get such component is bone marrow aspiration. This medical procedure is a painstaking process involving a lot of pain and a lot of money for the patient. Because of this medical professionals have searched for means to easily acquire stem cells apart from bone marrow aspirations. Today, doctors make use of the blood that is retained in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth.
Placenta cord banking is now making news in the medical industry. Along with cord blood extraction, this process is very easy both for the doctors and the patients. It does not require a lot of money except for some private blood banks who charge patients storage fees for their placenta cord and blood components. The procedure is very simple. When a child is born, the umbilical cord and placenta is taken out and cut off from the child and mother. The doctor then takes a sterile syringe and extracts blood remaining inside the cord. The blood is then taken to a storage facility known as a blood bank.
There are several speculations that aspiration using a syringe destroys the stem cells and other blood components of the umbilical and placenta cord. With further studies on this speculations still under way, some doctors prefer to take the severed cord and directly store it. Some blood banks and similar facilities accept placenta cord banking. When the time comes for a stem cell therapy need, the cord is then taken out from the facility and only then will the doctors take the frozen stem cell components to minimize potential damage to the cells. With more research and studies regarding the process of cord banking and placenta and umbilical cord blood components, medical professionals take extra caution with stem cell extraction from such sources for treatment and therapy of degenerative and blood disorders.