Delayed cord clamping linked to reduced hospital mortality

(HealthDay)—Delayed cord clamping is associated with reduced hospital mortality in preterm infants, according to a review published online Oct. 30 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Michael Fogarty, from the University of Sydney, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to compare the effects of delayed versus early cord clamping on hospital mortality and morbidity in preterm infants born at <37 weeks' gestation. Data were included from 18 randomized controlled trials including 2,834 infants.

The researchers found that most infants allocated to delayed clamping were assigned a delay of ≥60 seconds. Delayed clamping was associated with a reduction in hospital mortality (risk ratio [RR], 0.69; risk difference [RD], 0.02). Delayed clamping was also correlated with reduced hospital mortality in three trials with 996 infants aged ≤28 weeks' gestation (RR, 0.7; RD, −0.05). Delayed clamping was correlated with a 2.73 percent increase in peak hematocrit and a 10 percent reduction in the proportion of infants having blood transfusion.

"This systematic review provides high-quality evidence that delayed clamping reduced hospital mortality, which supports current guidelines recommending delayed clamping in preterm infants," the authors write.

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