Abstract
Delayed cord clamping in the first minute in preterm infants born before 34 weeks of gestation improves neonatal hematologic measures and may reduce mortality without increasing any other morbidity. In term‐born babies, it also seems to improve both the short‐ and long‐term outcomes and shows favorable scores in fine motor and social domains. However, there is insufficient evidence to show what duration of delay is best. The current evidence supports not clamping the cord before 30 seconds for preterm births. Future trials could compare different lengths of delay. Until then, a period of 30 seconds to 3 minutes seems justified for term‐born babies.
Highlights
Since active management of the third stage of labor was introduced, early clamping of the umbilical cord has spread across the world
Delayed cord clamping allows blood flow between the placenta and baby to continue during the third stage of labor, leading to a more stable neonatal hemodynamic transition.[3]
Systematic reviews provide moderate-quality evidence that delayed cord clamping in the first minute in preterm infants born before 34 weeks of gestation improves neonatal hematologic measures and may reduce mortality without increasing any other morbidity.[6]
Summary
Since active management of the third stage of labor was introduced, early clamping of the umbilical cord has spread across the world. KEYWORDS delayed cord clamping, neonatal outcomes, preterm delivery, term delivery This gained support through extensive clinical trials showing that late cord clamping results in better neonatal outcomes in preterm and term-born babies.[1,2] Delayed cord clamping allows blood flow between the placenta and baby to continue during the third stage of labor, leading to a more stable neonatal hemodynamic transition.[3] In addition, as part of the neonate’s physiological transition naturally occurring during the third stage of labor there is a progressive increase in heart rate, which is considered the most reliable indicator of normalcy.
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