Umbilical Cord Clamping Methods and Stem Cell Counts in Preterm Infants

January 27, 2026 updated by: Era Tufan Benli

Effect of Umbilical Cord Clamping Method on Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Counts in Preterm Newborns: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study evaluates the effect of different umbilical cord clamping methods on peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell counts in preterm newborns.

Preterm infants were randomly assigned to different umbilical cord clamping strategies as part of routine obstetric care. Peripheral blood samples were collected after birth to assess stem cell concentrations.

The aim of the study was to determine whether physiological cord management strategies could influence early hematologic adaptation in preterm infants. The study was conducted using standard clinical procedures without additional intervention beyond routine care.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This prospective randomized study was conducted to investigate the impact of different umbilical cord clamping methods on peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell counts in preterm newborns.

Eligible preterm infants were randomly allocated to one of the predefined umbilical cord clamping strategies according to the study protocol. All procedures were performed as part of standard obstetric and neonatal care, and no experimental intervention outside routine clinical practice was applied.

Peripheral blood samples were obtained following delivery, and hematopoietic stem cell concentrations were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. The primary outcome was the comparison of stem cell counts between the different cord clamping groups.

The study was initiated and completed in 2015, prior to mandatory prospective clinical trial registration requirements. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from parents or legal guardians before participation.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

49

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lokman Hekim University, Faculty of Medicine,

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Preterm neonates born between 28+0 and 36+6 weeks of gestation.
  • Infants born at a single tertiary referral center.
  • Written informed consent obtained from parents prior to delivery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major fetal congenital anomalies.
  • Perinatal asphyxia.
  • Requirement for advanced neonatal resuscitation at birth.
  • Undetermined gestational age.
  • Gestational age less than 28 weeks.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate Cord Clamping (ICC)
Umbilical cord clamped within 30 seconds after birth.
Procedure: Immediate Cord Clamping
Clamping of the umbilical cord within 30 seconds after delivery.
Experimental: Delayed Cord Clamping (DCC)
Umbilical cord clamped 60 seconds after birth.
Procedure: Delayed Cord Clamping
Clamping of the umbilical cord 60 seconds after delivery.
Experimental: Umbilical Cord Milking (UCM)
Umbilical cord milked toward the infant before clamping.
Procedure: Umbilical Cord Milking
Milking of a 20 cm segment of the umbilical cord toward the infant before clamping.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neonatal Hemoglobin Level
Time Frame: Within first 24 hours after birth
Comparison of neonatal hemoglobin levels among immediate cord clamping, delayed cord clamping, and umbilical cord milking groups.
Within first 24 hours after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Era Tufan Benli

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Meryem Ceyhan, Dr., Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lokman Hekim University, Faculty of Medicine,

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SUCCH-UCC-2015

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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