Association of a Delayed Cord-Clamping Protocol With Hyperbilirubinemia in Term Neonates

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the implementation of a delayed cord-clamping protocol at an academic medical center, and its short-term associations on term neonates. METHODS:This was a retrospective cohort study of women aged 18 years or older delivering a term neonate at an academic medical center before and 5–7 months after implementation of a universal delayed cord-clamping protocol (October–December 2015 and October–December 2016, respectively). The primary outcome measure was the mean peak neonatal transcutaneous bilirubin level, with secondary outcome measures including mean initial transcutaneous bilirubin levels, mean serum bilirubin levels, number of serum bilirubin levels drawn, incidence of clinical jaundice, and phototherapy. RESULTS:Protocol adherence was 87.8%. Data are presented on 424 neonates. The mean peak neonatal transcutaneous bilirubin levels were significantly higher among neonates in the postprotocol group (10.0±3.4 mg/dL vs 8.4±2.7 mg/dL, P