How is umbilical cord blood puncture performed?
Disease description:
I am 20 weeks pregnant, and the results of my Down syndrome screening test were abnormal. My doctor said I need to undergo umbilical cord blood sampling. Could you please explain how this procedure is performed?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Umbilical cord puncture is usually performed after 18 weeks of pregnancy and is conducted under color ultrasound guidance throughout the procedure to ensure safety. Prior to the procedure, the physician will prepare the pregnant woman by explaining the process, precautions, and potential risks involved, and will require her to sign a medical consent form.
The physician will disinfect the pregnant woman's abdomen and then use a long, thin needle to perform a percutaneous puncture into the fetal umbilical vein under color ultrasound guidance. Once the umbilical vein is successfully accessed, an adequate amount of umbilical venous blood—typically 2–3 milliliters—will be drawn for subsequent karyotyping, chromosomal microarray analysis, or genetic disease testing. After the sample is collected, the physician will quickly remove the needle from the abdomen and apply a sterile dressing and disinfection.
Following the puncture, the pregnant woman should also pay attention to rest and observation.
