UNLABELLED

The objective of the study was to compare the serum ferritin levels (by chemiluminescence immunoassay) among two groups of newborns with intact umbilical cord milking (UCM) versus delayed cord clamping (DCC) at the 3rd month of life. Randomized controlled trial, unblinded, parallel group was conducted at tertiary care referral unit in South India after obtaining informed consent from eligible mothers in late preterm gestation and beyond, and the newborn babies were randomized into two groups by computer-generated sequence (SNOSE method) with two modes of umbilical cord management UCM and DCC. A total of 190 mothers were enrolled, and they were randomized into two arms: DCC group (n = 95) and UCM group (n = 95). Of these 190 mothers who were enrolled, the intervention was done for 180 babies, i.e., DCC (n = 92) and UCM (n = 88). Follow-up with serum ferritin was done for 108 babies. DCC-63 and UCM-45. Ferritin levels measured at 3 months of life showed comparable results, i.e., mean ferritin levels in the DCC group was 258.07 ng/ml and in the UCM group was 248.44 ng/ml, with a mean difference of - 9.63 (p 0.72).

CONCLUSION

Both UCM and DCC resulted in comparable levels of serum ferritin at 3 months of life, implying that a similar amount of placental transfusion occurs in both the groups. UCM is a feasible alternative to prevent anemia during infancy as compared to DCC when the latter cannot be done due to undue limitation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

CTRI registration number: CTRI/2021/05/033448. (07/05/2021).

WHAT IS KNOWN

• DCC is the standard of care for stable term and preterm babies at birth. However, UCM is a reasonable alternative for cord management at birth.

WHAT IS NEW

• UCM prevents anemia as effectively as DCC, as evidenced by comparable serum ferritin levels at 3 months of age, further adding to the hypothesis that UCM is a feasible alternative when DCC is not practical.