20 Delayed Versus Early Umbilical Cord Clamping: Developmental Outcomes at 4 Months in Swedish Infants

Abstract

Background Delayed cord clamping is associated with increased neonatal hemoglobin levels, and improved iron status in infants at 4-6 months. There are no previous studies evaluating effects from timing of clamping on development in term infants. Objective Does the time for umbilical cord clamping affect psychomotor development evaluated with Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) in 4-month infants? Design/methods Randomized controlled trial investigating effect of delayed cord clamping ((greater-than or equal to)180 sec, DCC) versus early cord clamping ((less-than or equal to)10 sec, ECC) in 382 full-term normal deliveries. After 4 months, parents reported their infant's development by the ASQ. Results 365 (96%) questionnaires were returned. The mean total ASQ score did not differ between groups. The DCC group had a higher mean score (SD) in the domain problem solving, 55.3 (7.2) vs. 53.5 (8.2), p=0.03 and a lower score in personal-social; 49.5 (9.3) vs. 51.8 (8.1), p=0.01. There were no difference between the DCC and ECC groups concerning the frequency of infants under cut-off score (table). Conclusions There was no overall effect of DCC on neurodevelopment assessed at 4 months of age. The possible effects on the domains will be further investigated in a follow-up study.