The Use of Foetal Doppler Ultrasound to Determine the Neonatal Heart Rate Immediately after Birth: A Systematic Review.

Determining the neonatal heart rate immediately after birth is unsatisfactory. Auscultation is inaccurate and provides no documented results. The use of foetal Doppler ultrasound has been recognised as a possible method of determining the neonatal heart rate after birth over the last nine years. This review includes all published studies of this approach, looking at accuracy, speed of results, and practical application of the approach. Precordial Doppler ultrasound has been shown to be as accurate as ECG and more accurate than oximetry for the neonatal heart rate, and provides quicker results than either ECG or oximetry. There is the potential for a much improved determination and documentation of the neonatal heart rate using this approach.

How to Provide Motherside Neonatal Resuscitation with Intact Placental Circulation?

Immediate clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord have been associated with death and/or neurodisability [...].

Transitional fetal hemodynamics and gas exchange in premature postpartum adaptation: immediate vs. delayed cord clamping.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that delayed cord clamping (DCC) is advantageous for achieving hemodynamic stability and improving oxygenation compared to the immediate cord clamping (ICC) during fetal-to-neonatal transition yet there is no quantitative information on hemodynamics and respiration, particularly for pre-term babies and fetal disease states. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effects of ICC and DCC on hemodynamics and respiration of the newborn preterm infants in the presence of common vascular pathologies. METHODS: A computational lumped parameter model (LPM) of the placental and respiratory system of a fetus is developed to predict blood pressure, flow rates and oxygen saturation. Cardiovascular system at different gestational ages (GA) are modeled using scaling relations governing fetal growth with the LPM. Intrauterine growth restriction (GR), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were modeled for a newborn at 30 weeks GA. We also formulated a "severity index (SI)" which is a weighted measure of ICC vs. DCC based on the functional parameters derived from our model and existing neonatal disease scoring systems. RESULTS: Our results show that transitional hemodynamics is smoother in DCC compared to ICC for all GAs. Blood volume of the neonate increases by 10% for moderately preterm and term infants (32-40 wks) and by 15% for very and extremely preterm infants (22-30 wks) with DCC compared to ICC. DCC also improves the cardiac output and the arterial blood pressure by 17% in term (36-40 wks), by 18% in moderately preterm (32-36 wks), by 21% in very preterm (28-32 wks) and by 24% in extremely preterm (20-28 wks) births compared to the ICC. A decline in oxygen saturation is observed in ICC received infants by 20% compared to the DCC received ones. At 30 weeks GA, SI were calculated for healthy newborns (1.18), and newborns with GR (1.38), PDA (1.22) and RDS (1.2) templates. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DCC provides superior hemodynamics and respiration at birth compared to ICC. This information will help preventing the complications associated with poor oxygenation arising in premature births and pre-screening the more critical babies in terms of their cardiovascular severity.

WITHDRAWN: Early cord clamping is the experimental intervention not delayed cord clamping.

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Revert to the original: time to re-establish delayed umbilical cord clamping as the standard approach for preterm neonates.

Delayed cord clamping, the common term used to denote placental-to-newborn transfusion at birth, is a practice now endorsed by the major governing bodies affiliated with maternal-newborn care. Despite considerable evidence, delayed cord clamping, not early cord clamping, continues to be viewed as the "experimental" intervention category when discussed in research studies. We provide a brief overview of placental-to-newborn transfusion in relation to birth transitional physiology and discuss areas where we may need to modify our interpretation of "normal" vital signs and laboratory values as delayed cord clamping becomes standardized. We also assert that delayed cord clamping should now be viewed as the standard of care approach, especially given that multiple randomized controlled trials have revealed that early cord clamping, which lacks evidence-based support, is associated with a greater risk for morbidity and mortality than delayed cord clamping.

Motherside care of the term neonate at birth.

The rationale for keeping the mother and her newborn together even when neonatal resuscitation is required is presented. The development of a customised mobile resuscitation trolley is detailed explaining how the resuscitation team can be provided with all the facilities of a standard resuscitation trolley to resuscitate the neonate at the mother's side with an intact cord. Alternative low tech solutions which may be appropriate in low resource setting and with a low risk population are also described.

Transition from fetal to neonatal circulation: Modeling the effect of umbilical cord clamping.

Hemodynamics of the fetal to neonatal transition are orchestrated through complex physiological changes and results in cardiovascular adaptation to the adult biventricular circulation. Clinical practice during this critical period can influence vital organ physiology for normal newborns, premature babies and congenital heart defect patients. Particularly, the timing of the cord clamping procedure, immediate (ICC) vs. delayed cord clamping (DCC), is hypothesized to be an important factor for the transitory fetal hemodynamics. The clinical need for a quantitative understanding of this physiology motivated the development of a lumped parameter model (LPM) of the fetal cardio-respiratory system covering the late-gestation to neonatal period. The LPM was validated with in vivo clinical data and then used to predict the effects of cord clamping procedures on hemodynamics and vital gases. Clinical time-dependent resistance functions to simulate the vascular changes were introduced. For DCC, placental transfusion (31.3 ml) increased neonatal blood volume by 11.7%. This increased blood volume is reflected in an increase in preload pressures by ~20% compared to ICC, which in turn increased the cardiac output (CO) by 20% (COICC=993 ml/min; CODCC=1197 ml/min). Our model accurately predicted dynamic flow patterns in vivo. DCC was shown to maintain oxygenation if the onset of pulmonary respiration was delayed or impaired. On the other hand, a significant 25% decrease in oxygen saturations was observed when applying ICC under the same physiological conditions. We conclude that DCC has a significant impact on newborn hemodynamics, mainly because of the improved blood volume and the sustained placental respiration.

Steps for implementing delayed cord clamping in a hospital setting.

BACKGROUND: Delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC) permits placental-to-newborn transfusion and results in an increased neonatal blood volume at birth. Despite endorsement by numerous medical governing bodies, DCC in preterm newborns has been slow to be adopted into practice. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework to guide medical providers interested in implementing DCC in a hospital setting. A descriptive implementation guideline is presented based on the author's personal experiences and the steps taken at the University of Washington (UW) to implement DCC in premature newborns <37 weeks' gestational age. Quality improvement data was obtained to assess compliance with DCC performance over the initial six months following initiation of the treatment protocol in July 2014. An anonymous electronic survey was administered to obstetrical providers in January 2015 to assess DCC policy awareness and adherence. RESULTS: Important steps to consider regarding implementation of DCC in a hospital settings include applying a multidisciplinary educational approach aimed at motivating potential stakeholders potentially impacted by DCC, addressing safety concerns regarding DCC, and developing a standardized DCC treatment protocol. In the first month following DCC protocol implementation at UW, 79.2% (19/24) of premature newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit received DCC, but compliance decreased over time, with DCC documented in only 40.1% (61/150) of newborns during the 6-month period following implementation. The majority of obstetrician survey respondents (90.9%, 20/22) were aware of the UW DCC policy for preterm deliveries, had performed DCC in the past 6 months (95.5%, 21/22), felt that they had sufficient understanding of the risks and benefits of DCC (90.9%, 20/22) and cited concerns for maternal hemorrhage and the need to resuscitate the baby as the main reasons to perform immediate cord clamping instead of DCC. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers interested in implementing DCC may benefit from a procedural practice plan that includes an assessment of organizational readiness to adopt a DCC protocol, methods to measure and encourage staff compliance, and ways to track outcome data of infants who underwent DCC. Strategies to improve protocol awareness after DCC has been implemented are recommended since compliance may decrease over time.

Placental transfusion strategies in very preterm neonates: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of interventions promoting placental transfusion at delivery (delayed cord clamping or umbilical cord milking) compared with early cord clamping on outcomes among premature neonates of less than 32 weeks of gestation. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was conducted of PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases (January 1965 to December 2013) for articles relating to placental transfusion strategies in very preterm neonates. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Literature searches returned 369 articles with 82 considered in full. We only included data from studies with an average gestational age of less than 32 weeks of gestation enrolled in randomized trials of enhanced placental-fetal transfusion interventions (delayed cord clamping or umbilical cord milking) compared with early cord clamping. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: We identified 12 eligible studies describing a total of 531 neonates with an average gestation of 28 weeks. Benefits of greater placental transfusion were decreased mortality (eight studies, risk ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19-0.95, 3.4% compared with 9.3%, P=.04), lower incidence of blood transfusions (six studies, risk ratio 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.92, 49.3% compared with 66%, P<.01), and lower incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (nine studies, risk ratio 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.91, 16.7% compared with 27.3%, P=.01). There was a weighted mean difference of -1.14 blood transfusions (six studies, 95% CI -2.01-0.27, P<.01) and a 3.24-mmHg increase in blood pressure at 4 hours of life (four studies, 95% CI 1.76-4.72, P<.01). No differences were observed between the groups across all available safety measures (5-minute Apgar scores, admission temperature, incidence of delivery room intubation, peak serum bilirubin levels). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this meta-analysis suggest that enhanced placental transfusion (delayed umbilical cord clamping or umbilical cord milking) at birth provides better neonatal outcomes than does early cord clamping, most notably reductions in overall mortality, lower risk of intraventricular hemorrhage, and decreased blood transfusion incidence. The optimal umbilical cord clamping practice among neonates requiring immediate resuscitation remains uncertain.

Placental cord drainage after vaginal delivery as part of the management of the third stage of labour.

BACKGROUND: Cord drainage in the third stage of labour involves unclamping the previously clamped and divided umbilical cord and allowing the blood from the placenta to drain freely into an appropriate receptacle. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to assess the specific effects of placental cord drainage on the third stage of labour following vaginal birth, with or without prophylactic use of uterotonics in the management of the third stage of labour. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (February 2010). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing placental cord draining with no placental cord drainage as part of the management of the third stage of labour. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed the quality of trials and extracted data. This was then verified by the third review author who then entered the agreed outcomes to the review. MAIN RESULTS: Three studies involving 1257 women met our inclusion criteria. Cord drainage reduced the length of the third stage of labour (mean difference (MD) -2.85 minutes, 95% confidence interval (CI) -4.04 to -1.66; three trials, 1257 women (heterogeneity: T² = 0.87; Chi²P=17.19, I² = 88%)) and reduced the average amount of blood loss (MD -77.00 ml, 95% CI -113.73 to -40.27; one trial, 200 women).No incidence of retained placenta at 30 minutes after birth was observed in the included studies, therefore, it was not possible to compare this outcome. The differences between the cord drainage and the control group were not statistically significant for postpartum haemorrhage or manual removal of the placenta. None of the included studies reported fetomaternal transfusion outcomes and there were no data relating to maternal pain or discomfort during the third stage of labour. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There was a small reduction in the length of the third stage of labour and also in the amount of blood loss when cord drainage was applied compared with no cord drainage. The clinical importance of such observed statistically significant reductions, is open to debate. There is no clear difference in the need for manual removal of placenta, blood transfusion or the risk of postpartum haemorrhage. Due to small trials with medium risk of bias, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Timing of prophylactic uterotonics for the third stage of labour after vaginal birth.

BACKGROUND: Administration of the uterotonic drugs is one of the main components of the active management of the third stage of labour. The timing of uterotonics varies considerably across the globe and it may have significant implications on the well-being of the mothers and their babies. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of the timing of administration of prophylactic uterotonics (before compared to after placental delivery) on the outcomes related to the third stage of labour. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (September 2009). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials examining the timing of prophylactic uterotonic drugs in the third stage of labour. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed the studies for inclusion, assessed risk of bias and carried out data extraction. Data entry was checked MAIN RESULTS: We included three trials involving 1671 participants; oxytocin was the only uterotonic drug that was used. The dose and route of administration of oxytocin varied among the included studies. Administration of oxytocin before and after the expulsion of placenta does not significantly influence the incidence of postpartum haemorrhage (blood loss greater than 500 ml) (risk ratio (RR) 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62 to 1.04; n = 1667, three trials); retained placenta (RR 1.54, 95% CI 0.76 to 3.11; n = 1667, three trials); length of third stage of labour (minutes) (mean difference (MD) -0.30, 95% CI -0.95 to 0.36; n = 1667, three trials); postpartum blood loss (ml) (MD 22.32, 95% CI -58.21 to 102.86; n = 181, two trials); changes in haemoglobin (g/dL) (MD 0.06, 95% CI -0.60 to 0.72; n = 51, one trial); blood transfusion (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.23 to 2.73; n = 1667, three trials); the use of additional uterotonics (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.52; n = 1667, three trials); the incidence of maternal hypotension (RR 2.48, 95% CI 0.23 to 26.70; n = 130, one trial) and the incidence of severe postpartum haemorrhage (blood loss 1000 ml or more) (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.98; n = 130, one trial). No data on other maternal or neonatal outcome measures were available. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Administration of oxytocin before and after the expulsion of placenta did not have any significant influence on many clinically important outcomes such as the incidence of postpartum haemorrhage, rate of placental retention and the length of the third stage of labour. However, the number of available studies were limited. The only uterotonic drug used was oxytocin, mainly through intravenous infusion, therefore its extrapolation to other routes of administration should be interpreted cautiously. More studies are required to examine other maternal and neonatal outcomes using consistent approaches.