Umbilical cord milking versus delayed cord clamping in term infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is recommended for healthy term infants. However, the effectiveness of umbilical cord milking (UCM) in term infants remains unknown. The study aimed to compare the effects of UCM versus DCC on term infants. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted which included individual and clustered RCTs comparing UCM with DCC for infants born at ≥37 weeks of gestation. RESULTS Three trials (650 term infants) were included. Compared with DCC, UCM was associated with higher hemoglobin levels at 6 weeks after birth [infants, 621; mean difference, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.29] and had no statistical differences in hemoglobin levels at birth, serum bilirubin levels at 48 h after birth, or hematocrit levels at 48 h after birth. CONCLUSION This study suggested that UCM might be as beneficial as DCC in term infants, however, further RCTs are required to accurately assess the outcomes.