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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
The Perinatal Asphyxiated Lamb Model: A Model for Newborn Resuscitation
Published on: August 15, 2018
Effects of delayed cord clamping in very-low-birth-weight infants
W Oh1, A A Fanaroff, W A Carlo
1Department of Pediatrics, Women and Infants' Hospital, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905, USA. woh@wihri.org
Objective:
Delayed cord clamping (DCC) may be beneficial in very-preterm and very-low-birth-weight infants.
Study Design:
This study was a randomized unmasked controlled trial. It was performed at three centers of the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Neonatal Research Network. DCC in very-preterm and very-low-birth-weight infants will result in an increase in hematocrit levels at 4 h of age. Infants with a gestational age of 24 to 28 weeks were randomized to either early cord clamping (<10 s) or DCC (30 to 45 s). The primary outcome was venous hematocrit at 4 h of age. Secondary outcomes included delivery room management, selected neonatal morbidities and the need for blood transfusion during the infants' hospital stay.
Result:
A total of 33 infants were randomized: 17 to the immediate cord clamping group (cord clamped at 7.9±5.2 s, mean±s.d.) and 16 to the DCC (cord clamped at 35.2±10.1 s) group. Hematocrit was higher in the DCC group (45±8% vs 40±5%, P<0.05). The frequency of events during delivery room resuscitation was almost identical between the two groups. There was no difference in the hourly mean arterial blood pressure during the first 12 h of life; there was a trend in the difference in the incidence of selected neonatal morbidities, hematocrit at 2, 4 and 6 weeks, as well as the need for transfusion, but none of the differences was statistically significant.
Conclusion:
A higher hematocrit is achieved by DCC in very-low-birth-weight infants, suggesting effective placental transfusion.
