FAQ

Can I bank my baby's cord blood if I give birth at the public hospital?

In Hong Kong, cord blood collection is only available at the private hospitals, but not public sector due to its limited manpower resources. There are 10 private hospitals in Hong Kong with cord blood collection service with details shown below.

District	Hospital
Hong Kong	St.Paul Hospital
	Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital
	Canossa Hospital
	Hong Kong Adventist Hospital
	Matilda International Hospital
Kowloon	Baptist Hospital
	St. Teresa’s Hospital
	Precious Hospital
	Union Hospital
	Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital

Hospitals with cord blood collection service in Macau

Macau	Hospital
	Kiang Wu Hospital
	Conde S. Januario General Hospital

What factors determine the volume of collected cord blood?

The volume of cord blood collected depends on

• Thickness and length of cord
• Weight of placenta and baby
• Situation during childbirth as the safety of mother and baby always come first.
• Collection technique is also an important factor. All doctors/nurses are well trained at collecting cord blood.

Can I bank my baby's cord blood if its amount can't meet cryogenic storage criteria?

The cord blood can be banked even if the volume is insufficient. Successful transplantations of more than one cord blood samples have been reported. As long as one of the cord blood samples transplanted is from the patient, GVHD can greatly be reduced. Also ex-vivo culture/expansion is near the final stage of research, when this technique is fully established, the problem with insufficient volume could be solved.

Can the cord blood be stored if it is contaminated with bacteria or fungus?

As there is a form-fitting Teflon bag to overwrap the freezing bag, contaminated samples will not affect other samples. Therefore it is up to parents to decide whether or not to store their baby's cord blood. (In theory, bacteria can be killed by antibiotics but there is not yet a successful demonstration of using contaminated blood for transplantation.)

How is the cord blood collected?

The umbilical cord blood is collected after the baby has been delivered and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, the collection process takes about 5 to 10 minutes.