Abstract
Delaying umbilical cord clamping (DCC) for 1 min or longer following a neonate’s birth has now been recommended for preterm and term newborns by multiple professional organizations. DCC has been shown to decrease rates of iron deficiency anemia, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and blood transfusion. Despite these benefits, clinicians typically cut the umbilical cord without delay in neonates requiring resuscitation and move them to a radiant warmer for further care; this effectively prevents these patients from receiving any benefits from DCC. This study evaluated the feasibility of a delayed cord clamping cart (DCCC) in low-risk neonates born via Cesarean section (CS). The DCCC is a small, sterile cart designed to facilitate neonatal resuscitation while the umbilical cord remains intact. The cart is cantilevered over the operating room (OR) table during a CS, allowing the patient to be placed onto it immediately after birth. For this study, a sample of 20 low-risk CS cases were chosen from the non-emergency Labor and Delivery surgical case list. The DCCC was utilized for 1 min of DCC in all neonates. The data collected included direct observation by research team members, recorded debriefings and surveys of clinicians as well as surveys of patients. Forty-four care team members participated in written surveys; of these, 16 (36%) were very satisfied, 12 (27%) satisfied, 13 (30%) neutral, and 3 (7%) were somewhat dissatisfied with use of the DCCC in the OR. Feedback was collected from all 20 patients, with 18 (90%) reporting that they felt safe with the device in use. This study provides support that utilizing a DCCC can facilitate DCC with an intact umbilical cord.
Highlights
Delayed cord clamping (DCC) refers to the practice of delaying clamping of a neonate’s umbilical cord for at least 30–60 s after birth
All neonates were vigorous at delivery, and received 60 s of DCC on the delayed cord clamping cart (DCCC); no neonates required resuscitation
Obstetric nurses, and members of the anesthesia team were included in the informed consent process but did not directly interact with the cart; formal interviews and written feedback was not collected from those not directly interacting with the cart given that the DCCC neither supported nor impeded their workflow
Summary
Delayed cord clamping (DCC) refers to the practice of delaying clamping of a neonate’s umbilical cord for at least 30–60 s after birth. DCC has been endorsed by multiple professional organizations, including the World Health Organization, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, amongst several others [1,2,3,4,5,11]. These professional organizations recommend DCC in most vigorous preterm and term neonates
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
