As the umbilical vein is directly connected to the central circulation, it can be used as a route for placement of a venous catheter for infusion and medication.
Some parents choose to have this blood diverted from the baby's umbilical blood transfer through early cord clamping and cutting, to freeze for long-term storage at a cord blood bank should the child ever require the cord blood stem cells (for example, to replace bone marrow destroyed when treating leukemia).