A review on development of placental transfusion in term and preterm infants

Abstract

In recent years, it has been verified that placental transfusion can replenish blood volume of neonates, improve organ perfusion in the early postnatal stage, and facilitate the transition from fetal circulation to adult circulation. Meanwhile, placental transfusion can reduce the need for blood transfusion and the onset of intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and other complications. Furthermore, it can improve the iron store and the long-term prognosis of central nervous system, and reduce infant mortality. Different methods have been used, including delayed cord clamping, intact umbilical cord milking, and cut umbilical cord milking. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other academic organizations recommend the routine use of delayed cord clamping at birth for the most vigorous term and preterm neonates. However, details of placental transfusion should be clarified, and the short/long-term impacts of this technology on some infants with special conditions still require further study.

Effect of delayed cord clamping on cerebral hemodynamics in preterm infants

“…In this study, RI was in the normal range and the amount of placental transfusion in this study may be within the regulatory capacity of cerebral vessels. Many studies have confirmed that DCC can reduce the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage compared with ICC [ [15] , [16] , [17] ]. Therefore, the mechanism of DCC reducing intracranial hemorrhage may be related to the placental transfusion increasing the stability of systemic circulation and improving the autonomic regulation of cerebral blood vessels, thus reducing the fluctuation of cerebral blood flow in premature infants after birth [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Effect of Delayed Cord Clamp on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

“…This method sprang from advances in neonatology and obstetrics, and its potential effects on neonates are just now receiving the scholarly attention they merit. A long umbilical cord clamp is required to carry fetal blood from the placenta to the newborn child during delivery (Welsh et al, 2020;Lu et al, 2022).…”