Since 1993, umbilical-cord blood has been used as the source of hematopoietic stem cells. A single cord-blood unit has limited numbers of hematopoietic cells which prevent its use in a recipient with larger body mass and results in delayed hematopoietic recovery and higher mortality. This synopsis is based on a hypothesis that the greater numbers of hematopoietic cells in two units of cord blood would be associated with improved outcomes after transplantation.
Umbilical cord-blood has been used as the source of hematopoietic stem cells for both malignant and nonmalignant diseases. Cord blood has advantages over stem-cell grafts for the following reasons that they are rapidly available as compared to stem cells, relative absence of donor attrition, and a reduced risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) despite donor-recipient HLA difference. However, there are limitations of cord blood…
