Original Article
Journal of Perinatology advance online publication 22 October 2009; doi: 10.1038/jp.2009.170
Seven-month developmental outcomes of very low birth weight infants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of delayed versus immediate cord clamping
J S Mercer1, B R Vohr2, D A Erickson-Owens1, J F Padbury2 and W Oh2
- 1College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
- 2Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Correspondence: Dr JS Mercer, College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, 2 Heathman Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA. E-mail: jmercer@uri.edu
Received 1 August 2009; Revised 11 September 2009; Accepted 16 September 2009; Published online 22 October 2009.
Abstract
Objective:
The results from our previous trial revealed that infants with delayed cord clamping (DCC) had significantly lesser intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and late-onset sepsis (LOS) than infants with immediate cord clamping (ICC). A priori, we hypothesized that infants with DCC would have better motor function by 7 months corrected age.
Study Design:
Infants between 24 and 31 weeks were randomized to ICC or DCC and follow-up evaluation was completed at 7 months corrected age.
Result:
We found no differences in the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) scores between the DCC and ICC groups. However, a regression model of effects of DCC on motor scores controlling for gestational age, IVH, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis and male gender suggested higher motor scores of male infants with DCC.
Conclusion:
DCC at birth seems to be protective of very low birth weight male infants against motor disability at 7 months corrected age.
Keywords:
cord clamping, motor outcomes, very low birth weight infants, randomized controlled trial, gender
