A Randomized Controlled Trial of a 30- versus a 120-Second Delay in Cord Clamping after Term Birth.

OBJECTIVE: Delayed cord clamping (DCC) has been recently adopted in neonatal resuscitation. The immediate cardiac hemodynamic effects related to DCC more than 30 seconds was not studied. We aimed to study the effect of DCC at 120 seconds compared with 30 seconds on multiple hemodynamic variables in full-term infants using an electrical cardiometry (EC) device. STUDY DESIGN: Present study is a randomized clinical trial. The study was conducted with full-term infants who were delivered at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department in Cairo University Hospital. Sixty-eight full term infants were successfully enrolled in this trial. Cardiac output (CO) and other hemodynamic parameters were evaluated in this study by EC device. Hemoglobin, glucose, and bilirubin concentrations were measured at 24 hours. Newborn infants were assigned randomly into group 1: DCC at 30 seconds, and group 2: DCC at 120 seconds, based on the time of cord clamping. RESULTS: Stroke volume (SV) (mL) and CO (L/min) were significantly higher in group 2 compared with group 1 at 5 minutes (6.71 vs. 5.35 and 1.09 vs. 0.75), 10 minutes (6.43 vs. 5.59 and 0.88 vs. 0.77), 15 minutes (6.45 vs. 5.60 and 0.89 vs. 0.76), and 24 hours (6.67 vs. 5.75 and 0.91vs. 0.81), respectively. Index of contractility (ICON; units) was significantly increased in group 2 at 5 minutes compared with group1 (114.2 vs. 83.8). Hematocrit (%) and total bilirubin concentrations (mg/dL) at 24 hours were significantly increased in group 2 compared with group 1 (51.5 vs. 40.5 and 3.8 vs. 2.9, respectively). CONCLUSION: Stroke volume and cardiac output are significantly higher in neonates with DCC at 120 seconds compared with 30 seconds that continues for the first 24 hours. KEY POINTS: · CO is significantly increased with DCC at 120 seconds.. · SV is significantly increased with DCC at 120 seconds.. · Such effects continued during the entire 24 hours of life in full-term infants..

A comparative study between preoperative rectal misoprostol and intraoperative intrauterine administration in the reduction of blood loss during and after cesarean delivery: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of rectal misoprostol with intrauterine misoprostol in the reduction of blood loss during and after cesarean delivery. METHODS: Ninety-eight pregnant women, all candidates for elective cesarean delivery, were equally randomized into two groups: the rectal group (received preoperative misoprostol rectally) and the intrauterine group (received intrauterine misoprostol after the delivery of the placenta). The primary outcome was the estimated blood loss (EBL) during cesarean delivery. Secondary outcomes included the occurrence of excessive blood loss (>1000 mL) within the first 24 hours postoperatively and the occurrence of any maternal or fetal side effects. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding either the EBL (693.12 ± 139.09 vs 692.39 ± 132.83; P=0.979) or the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage (>1000 mL) (6.1% vs 4.1%; P=0.99. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were significantly higher in the intrauterine group compared to the rectal group. CONCLUSION: Insertion of intrauterine misoprostol is as effective as rectal insertion in reducing blood loss during and after cesarean delivery; however, it has a safer neonatal outcome and is more convenient when administered during cesarean delivery. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03723031.

A randomized placebo-controlled trial of preoperative tranexamic acid among women undergoing elective cesarean delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and safety of preoperative intravenous tranexamic acid to reduce blood loss during and after elective lower-segment cesarean delivery. METHODS: A single-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study was undertaken of women undergoing elective lower-segment cesarean delivery of a full-term singleton pregnancy at a center in Cairo, Egypt, between November 2013 and November 2014. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using computer-generated random numbers to receive either 1g tranexamic acid or 5% glucose 15 minutes before surgery. Preoperative and postoperative complete blood count, hematocrit values, and maternal weight were used to calculate the estimated blood loss (EBL) during cesarean, which was the primary outcome. Analyses included women who received their assigned treatment, whose surgery was 90 minutes or less, and who completed follow-up. RESULTS: Analyses included 100 women in each group. Mean EBL was significantly higher in the placebo group (700.3 ± 143.9 mL) than in the tranexamic acid group (459.4 ±7 5.4 mL; P<0.001). Only six women, all in the placebo group, experienced an EBL of more than 1000 mL. There were no reports of thromboembolic events up to 4 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Preoperative administration of tranexamic acid safely reduces blood loss during elective lower-segment cesarean delivery. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry:ACTRN12615000312549.