Evidence · Systematic review or meta-analysis
Umbilical cord management in newborn resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Cord management
- Delivery room and stabilisation
- Medical
- Newborn life support
- Nursing
- Preterm stabilisation
Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis examines whether initiating newborn resuscitation and stabilisation with an intact umbilical cord is safe and improves outcomes compared with cord clamping before resuscitation. Twelve studies were included, with six randomised controlled trials pooled quantitatively. No significant differences were found in delivery room parameters, in-hospital mortality or complications of prematurity such as NEC and IVH, though oxygen saturation at 5 minutes tended to be higher with intact cord resuscitation. The authors conclude intact cord management appears safe, note promise for specialised resuscitation trolleys, and call for larger high-quality trials.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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