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Cord ‘milking’ improves blood flow in pre-term infants

Published

9 years ago

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Washington: A technique to increase the blood flow from the umbilical cord into the infant’s circulatory system improves blood pressure and red blood cell levels in premature infants delivered by Caesarean section, shows a study by Indian-origin researchers.

The technique, known as cord milking, consists of encircling the cord with the thumb and forefinger, gently squeezing, and slowly pushing the blood through the cord to the infant’s abdomen.

For infants delivered by Caesarean section, cord milking appears to offer benefits over the standard practice of waiting 45 to 60 seconds before clamping and then cutting the umbilical cord.

“The study results are very encouraging,” said Tonse Raju, chief of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD’s pregnancy and perinatology branch.

“The results need to be confirmed in a larger number of births, but it appears that umbilical cord milking may prove to be of great benefit to preterm infants delivered via Caesarean.”

The team enrolled 197 infants, of which 154 were delivered by Caesarean, with 75 assigned at random to the umbilical cord milking group and 79 assigned to the delayed clamping group.

Of the infants undergoing Caesarean deliveries, those in the cord milking group had higher blood flow in the superior vena cava, the large vein carrying blood from the brain to the heart.

First author Anup C. Katheria, another Indian-American neonatologist at the Neonatal Research Institute at the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital, noted that some studies failed to find a reduction in intraventricular haemorrhage from delayed cord clamping among preterm infants delivered by Caesarean.

Among preterm infants, the delay is believed to protect from intraventricular haemorrhage, or bleeding in the ventricles — the cavities inside the infant’s brain.

The haemorrhage is thought to result from low blood pressure, brought on by having too little blood in the circulatory system.

Cord milking might compensate for diminished blood flow through the umbilical cord and increase the amount of blood available to the infant.

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Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

Published

3 years ago

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May 4, 2022

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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