Delayed cord clamping in preterm babies reduces death risk by half

Two University of Sydney research programmes have found waiting for at least two minutes to clamp a premature baby’s umbilical cord could help decrease risk of death. The studies found clamping the cord 30 seconds or more after birth reduces the risk by a third, while waiting at least two minutes reduced the death risk by two-thirds compared to immediate clamping. The team will now work with international guideline developers to add these results to their clinical practices.