18 Month Follow Up of Preterm Infants Enrolled in the Cord Clamping Study

The current obstetrical practice at birth in the United States is that the umbilical cord of the very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is clamped immediately. When immediate cord clamping occurs, up to 50% of the fetal-placental blood volume may be left in the placenta acutely increasing vulnerability to hypovolemia (low blood volume). In the investigators previous randomized control trial, it was found that infants who received a simple delay in umbilical cord clamping for 30-45 seconds experienced significantly lower incidence of bleeding in the brain and fewer systemic infections throughout the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay and had higher scores on muscular control and function at 7 months corrected age. In the investigators current Phase 2 randomized controlled trial, examines the motor functioning of infants randomized to immediate cord clamping (ICC) or delayed cord clamping (DCC) at 7 months corrected age (age based on due date and not the pre-term birth rate).

Our objective for this new grant from the Thrasher Foundation is to examine the differences in the long-term effects of ICC vs. DCC on developmental outcomes of our study infants at 18-22 months corrected age. The investigators hypothesis is that the positive effects of DCC, less bleeding in the brain and less infection, may also result in better motor and mental functioning at 18-22 months corrected age. Differentiation between cognitive and motor function is more obvious in the developing toddler than in younger infants. The diagnosis of cerebral palsy becomes more definitive with age and cognitive skills such as expressive and receptive language continue to emerge.