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Umbilical Cord Milking Seems Safe for Preemies Born at 28 to 32 Weeks

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 22, 2023.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22, 2023 -- For preterm infants born at 28 to 32 weeks, the rate of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) or death does not differ with umbilical cord milking (UCM) versus delayed cord clamping (DCC), according to a study published online Nov. 9 in Pediatrics.

Anup Katheria, M.D., from Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns in San Diego, and colleagues conducted a noninferiority randomized trial of preterm infants recruited between June 2017 and September 2022 from 19 centers in four countries (noninferiority margin, 1 percent). The infants, born at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation, were randomly assigned to UCM or DCC (511 and 508, respectively).

The researchers found that 1.4 percent of infants randomly assigned to UCM and 1.4 percent randomly assigned to DCC developed grade III/IV IVH or died (rate difference, 0.1 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, −1.4 to 1.4 percent; P = 0.99).

"There was no difference in the rate of a composite outcome of severe IVH or death, although we are unable to demonstrate noninferiority," the authors write. "Nevertheless, these findings are reassuring in comparison to our earlier study that suggested an increased risk of severe IVH in extremely preterm infants (born 23 to 27 weeks gestational age)."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted November 2023

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