Faculty Opinions recommendation of Delayed vs early umbilical cord clamping for preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of umbilical cord milking in preterm infants.DesignRandomised controlled trials comparing umbilical cord milking with delayed cord clamping/immediate cord clamping in preterm infants were identified by searching databases, clinical trial registries and reference list of relevant studies in November 2019. Fixed effects model was used to pool the data on various clinically relevant outcomes.Main outcome measuresMortality and morbidities in preterm neonates.ResultsNineteen studies (2014 preterm infants) were included. Five studies (n=922) compared cord milking with delayed cord clamping, whereas 14 studies (n=1092) compared milking with immediate cord clamping. Cord milking, as opposed to delayed cord clamping, significantly increased the risk of intraventricular haemorrhage (grade III or more) (risk ratio (RR): 1.95 (95% CI 1.01 to 3.76), p=0.05). When compared with immediate cord clamping, cord milking reduced the need for packed RBC transfusions (RR:0.56 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.73), p<0.001). There was limited information on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The grade of evidence was moderate or low for the various outcomes analysed.ConclusionUmbilical cord milking, when compared with delayed cord clamping, significantly increased the risk of severe intraventricular haemorrhage in preterm infants, especially at lower gestational ages. Cord milking, when compared with immediate cord clamping, reduced the need for packed RBC transfusions but did not improve clinical outcomes. Hence, cord milking cannot be considered as placental transfusion strategy in preterm infants based on the currently available evidence.

Download Full-text

Umbilical Cord Milking in Infants Born at <37 Weeks of Gestation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9041071 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 1071

Author(s):

Inmaculada Ortiz-Esquinas ◽

Juan Gómez-Salgado ◽

Julián Rodriguez-Almagro ◽

Ángel Arias-Arias ◽

Ana Ballesta-Castillejos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Umbilical Cord ◽

Weighted Mean Difference ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mean Blood Pressure ◽

Cord Clamping ◽

Umbilical Cord Milking

Umbilical cord milking (UCM) could be an alternative in cases where delayed umbilical cord clamping cannot be performed, therefore our objective was to evaluate the effects of UCM in newborns <37 weeks’ gestation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Clinical Trials, the clinicaltrails.gov database for randomized UCM clinical trials with no language restrictions, which we then compared with other strategies. The sample included 2083 preterm infants. The results of our meta-analysis suggest that UCM in premature infants can reduce the risk of transfusion (relative risk (RR)= 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI),0.67–0.90]) and increase hemoglobin(pooled weighted mean difference (PWMD)= 0.89 g/L[95%CI 0.55–1.22]) and mean blood pressure (PWMD=1.92 mmHg [95% CI 0.55–3.25]). Conversely, UCM seems to increase the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RR = 1.54 [95% CI 1.03–2.29]), compared to the control groups. In infants born at <33 weeks, UCM was associated with a reduced risk of transfusion (RR= 0.81 [95%CI 0.66–0.99]), as well as higher quantities of hemoglobin (PWMD= 0.91 g/L[95%CI 0.50–1.32]). UCM reduces the risk of transfusion in preterm infants, and increases initial hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean blood pressure levels with respect to controls.

Download Full-text