Collection of umbilical cord blood and the risk of complications in postpartum women after natural labour in the context of the possibility of umbilical cord stem cells usage in clinical practice

Objectives: Comparison of changes in peripheral blood venous morphology and the frequency of select complications in patients who underwent umbilical cord blood collection during the third stage of labour by in the utero method compared to patients who did not undergo this procedure. Presentation of current therapeutic possibilities of cord blood stem cells.

Material and methods: The study involved 248 patients who had a vaginal delivery and had umbilical cord blood taken by in utero method during the third stage of labour. The control group consisted of the first 400 patients who gave vaginal delivery starting in 2019. Each patient had a venous peripheral blood count taken before delivery and 18 hours after delivery. Changes in the results of laboratory tests and the occurrence of adverse outcomes, such as postpartum curettage, postpartum haemorrhage and manual removal of placenta, in the 3rd and 4th stage delivery periods, were analysed.

Results: In the blood donor group there were significantly lower haemoglobin (11.32 g/L vs 11.61 g/L, p = 0.004) and haematocrit (32.83% vs 33.82% p = 0.001) concentrations after delivery. Umbilical cord donors had a greater difference in haemoglobin (postpartum minus prepartum) (-1.4 g/L vs -0.9 g/L, p = 000), and haematocrit (-4.05% vs -2.5% , p = 0.000). The study group had a higher percentage of patients with postpartum anaemia (haemoglobin concentration < 10 g/L) (15.9% vs 10.64%, p = 0.05), but the result were borderline significant. The groups did not differ in terms of the percentage of postpartum curettage, PPH, manual removal of placenta, percentage of severe anaemia (Hb < 7g/L) or transfusion requirement.

Conclusion: Collection of umbilical cord blood during the 3rd stage of labour using the in utero method is associated with a statistically significant increase of blood loss and a higher probability of postpartum anaemia. The observed changes are minor and may have little clinical significance in otherwise healthy patients.