Umbilical cord milking for neonates who are depressed at birth: a randomized trial of feasibility.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of umbilical cord milking (UCM) in neonates who are depressed at birth.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a quasi-randomized, non-blinded, controlled trial on infants (≥35 weeks) who were depressed at birth. UCM (cord milked three times) was performed during the even months and the neonates born during the odd months were in the control group. Primary outcome was feasibility and safety.

RESULTS: A total of 101 infants were enrolled (50 UCM group and 51 control group) between January 2015 and October 2016. UCM was performed in 95% of infants (59/62) who qualified to receive UCM. There were no significant differences in resuscitation delay, resuscitation efforts, and short-term outcomes between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS: UCM is feasible for term and late preterm infants who are depressed at birth. A larger clinical trial is needed to evaluate long-term benefits of UCM in neonates with HIE.