Umbilical cord milking in term infants delivered by cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial

Objective:the study's objective was to compare hematocrit (hct) levels at 36 to 48 h of age in term infants delivered by cesarean section exposed to immediate cord clamping or umbilical cord milking (ucm).study design:in this randomized controlled trial, 24 women scheduled for elective cesarean section were randomized to either immediate clamping (<10 s) or ucm (milked × 5 by the obstetrical provider) at birth.result:all subjects received their allocated intervention. the milking group had a smaller placental residual blood volume (13.2±5.6 vs 19.2±5.4 ml kg–1, p=0.01) and higher hct levels at 36 to 48 h (57.5±6.6 vs 50.0±6.4 %, p=0.01). five infants (42%) in the immediate group had a hct of ⩽47%, indicative of anemia.conclusion:ucm results in placental transfusion in term infants at the time of elective cesarean section with higher hct levels at 36 to 48 h of age.