Providing additional placental blood to the preterm baby by either delaying cord clamping for 30 to 120 seconds, rather than early clamping, seems to be associated with less need for transfusion, better circulatory stability, less intraventricular haemorrhage (all grades) and lower risk for necrotising enterocolitis. However, there were insufficient data for reliable conclusions about the comparative effects on any of the primary outcomes for this review.
Periventricular/intraventricular haemorrhage and umbilical cord clamping. Findings and hypothesis.
The timing of umbilical cord clamping in 38 women with preterm labour was randomly assigned. Ultrasonographic evidence of periventricular/intraventricular haemorrhage (PVH/IVH), assessed blindly, was found in 77% of the group clamped early compared with 35% of those in whom clamping of the cord was delayed for 1 minute. A hypothesis to explain the possible contribution of the haemodynamic events which accompany cord clamping to the development of PVH/IVH is presented.