Compare the Q-Cup With Other Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Techniques

Approximately 4 million babies were born in the United States in 2015. Umbilical cord blood (UBC) collection is a routine hospital procedure done to evaluate a newborn's health after the birth of the fetus. UBC is tested to measure bilirubin levels, blood gases, blood sugar levels, blood types, complete blood counts, and platelet counts. UBC is collected by either draining the blood into the collection vial, milking the umbilical cord of blood, or extracting the blood by injecting a needle with a syringe. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 5.6 million workers in the health care industry are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Occupational exposure during umbilical cord blood collection may occur due to the great deal of blood and amniotic fluid present at the time of delivery. This fluid causes the physician to have a slippery grasp on the umbilical cord and vials for collection. These methods pose a risk of exposing Labor and Delivery staff to blood borne diseases. The drainage and milking method can lead to an increased amount of spilled blood while the extraction method may lead to accidental needle sticks. Exposure to bloodborne pathogens may be amplified when the umbilical cord is engorged with blood and as the needle is inserted in the cord, splatter may occur. The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was signed into law on November 6, 2000 in which employees were required to implement safer medical devices. Many patents have been obtained for umbilical cord blood collection devices however, there has not been a standardized method of collecting and transferring umbilical cord blood to the laboratory vacuum tubes. The goal of this project is to prove the feasibility of using the Q-Cup, a patent pending disposable, two-piece blood collection and transfer device for safely and efficiently collecting umbilical cord blood and transferring it into laboratory vacuum tubes.

The overall objective of this project is to prove the feasibility of using a two-piece umbilical blood collection and transfer device for safely and effectively collecting umbilical cord blood and transferring the blood into a laboratory vacuum tube. Also, the investigators will assess provider satisfaction, safety, ease of use, length of procedure comparing passive flow into blood tubes and the Q-cup technology. The Q-Cup technology can take part in the effort to reduce occupation exposures including percutaneous exposures during labor and delivery in general and by studying specifically the heretofore neglected category of umbilical cord blood collection and transfer. Efforts in this area will help focus attention on this previously ignored domain and help establish a standard of care and safety during this frequent procedure.

The investigators hypothesize the Q-Cup will be a more effective transfer method than current practices utilized for umbilical cord blood collection.

Inclusion criteria

• Obstetric patients must be age 18 or older
• Obstetric patients must be receiving prenatal care at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Department of Ob-Gyn
• Obstetric patients must be in their third trimester
• Obstetric patients must be delivering at University Medical Center

Exclusion criteria

• children will not be included
• patients in active labor