BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of clamping the umbilical cord in preterm infants at birth is the subject of continuing debate. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a brief delay in cord clamping on the outcome of babies born prematurely. METHODS: A retrospective meta-analysis of randomised trials in preterm infants was conducted. Data were collected from published studies identified by a structured literature search in EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library. All infants born below 37 weeks gestation and enrolled into a randomised study of delayed cord clamping (30 s or more) versus immediate cord clamping (less than 20 s) after birth were included. Systematic search and analysis of the data were done according to the methodology of the Cochrane collaboration. RESULTS: Ten studies describing a total of 454 preterm infants were identified which met the inclusion and assessment criteria. Major benefits of the intervention were higher circulating blood volume during the first 24 h of life, less need for blood transfusions (p = 0.004) and less incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The procedure of a delayed cord clamping time of at least 30 s is safe to use and does not compromise the preterm infant in the initial post-partum adaptation phase. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of clamping the umbilical cord in preterm infants at birth is the subject of continuing debate. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a brief delay in cord clamping on the outcome of babies born prematurely. METHODS: A retrospective meta-analysis of randomised trials in preterm infants was conducted. Data were collected from published studies identified by a structured literature search in EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library. All infants born below 37 weeks gestation and enrolled into a randomised study of delayed cord clamping (30 s or more) versus immediate cord clamping (less than 20 s) after birth were included. Systematic search and analysis of the data were done according to the methodology of the Cochrane collaboration. RESULTS: Ten studies describing a total of 454 preterm infants were identified which met the inclusion and assessment criteria. Major benefits of the intervention were higher circulating blood volume during the first 24 h of life, less need for blood transfusions (p = 0.004) and less incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The procedure of a delayed cord clamping time of at least 30 s is safe to use and does not compromise the preterm infant in the initial post-partum adaptation phase. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
Authors: R D Christensen; V L Baer; E Gerday; M J Sheffield; D S Richards; J G Shepherd; G L Snow; S T Bennett; E L Frank; W Oh Journal: J Perinatol Date: 2013-09-12 Impact factor: 2.521
Authors: Fernando C Barros; Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta; Maneesh Batra; Thomas N Hansen; Cesar G Victora; Craig E Rubens Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2010-02-23 Impact factor: 3.007