Effects of placental cord drainage in the third stage of labour: A meta-analysis

Placental cord drainage and its outcomes at third stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The third stage of labor begins with the baby's birth and ends with the expulsion of the placenta and embryonic membranes. The prolongation of the third stage of labor, placental retention, subsequent issues such as postpartum hemorrhage, and manual removal of the placenta have adverse outcomes, which eventually affect the positive experience of delivery. The present study aimed to assess the effect of placental cord drainage on the duration of the third stage of labor and to clarify its effects on postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, and incidence of manual removal of placenta.

METHODS

This study was a parallel-group randomized trial. Four hundred women in the third stage of labor after vaginal delivery were randomized into the drainage (placenta drainage, n = 200) and the control groups (no placenta drainage, n = 200). In both groups, the third stage of labor was performed with the active method, and the placenta was removed using the Brandt-Andrews maneuver with maternal pushing. The duration of the third stage was compared between the two groups as the primary outcome. Also, the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, and manual removal of placenta was compared.

RESULTS

In all, 175 women in the drainage group and 165 women in the control group were included in the analysis. The third stage of labor was significantly shorter after placental cord drainage. The mean duration of the third stage was 7.09 ± 1.01 minutes in the drainage group, and it was 10.43 ± 3.20 minutes in the control group (P < 0.001). Postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, and incidence of manual removal of placenta in the drainage group was significantly less than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Placental cord drainage is a simple and non-invasive method of reducing the duration of the third stage of labor. This method does not increase postpartum complications.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

IRCT2014041917341N1 , retrospectively registered at 15. 10. 2017.

The Effectiveness of Placental Drainage in the Active Management of the Third Stage against the Duration of Three Childbirths in the Independent Practice of Midwives in Banda Aceh City

BACKGROUND: The third stage of active management has become a standard practice in delivery management. Implementation of childbirth care requires accelerated release of the placenta to avoid bleeding. Placental drainage can shorten the duration of the three stages and reduce blood loss during labor. AIM: The aim of the study is to analyzing the effectiveness of placental drainage in the third stage active management of the third stage of delivery at the midwife’s independent practice (PMB) in the city of Banda Aceh. METHODS: This study used a Quasi Experiment design with a post-test control design. This research was carried out for 12 weeks at the PMB in Banda Aceh City, namely mothers who gave birth at the Erni Munir PMB and the Independent Practice Midwife Mutia Yacob. The sampling technique was purposive sampling. The sample in this study amounted to thirty mothers giving birth, divided into two groups, namely, the treatment group with placental drainage as many as 15 mothers and respondents with cord clamping as many as 15 mothers. With the inclusion criteria, the mother is willing to be a respondent, the vital signs of normal mothers, single and live fetuses, term pregnancy, and an interpretation of average fetal weight ≥ 2500 g. Data analysis used the MannWhitney test, with a confidence level of 95%. RESULTS: The results showed a difference in effectiveness between the placental drainage group and the umbilical cord clamping group, as evidenced by a statistical test with p = 0.001. The length of three stages required by mothers to give birth with placental drainage has a mean value of 4.47 min with a standard deviation of 0.516. The average length of time required by the mother to give birth with umbilical cord clamping is 5.40 min with a standard deviation value of 0.828. CONCLUSION: Placental drainage was more effective than umbilical cord clamping to shorten the third stage length in the Independent Practice of Midwives in Banda Aceh City.

Variability and associated factors in the management of cord clamping and the milking practice among Spanish obstetric professionals

Clinical practice guides recommend delayed clamping of the umbilical cord. If this is not possible, some authors suggest milking as an alternative. The objective of this study was to determine the variability in professional practice in the management of umbilical cord clamping and milking and to identify factors or circumstances associated with the different methods. An observational cross-sectional study done on 1,045 obstetrics professionals in Spain in 2018. A self-designed questionnaire was administered online. The main variables studied were type of clamping and use of milking. Crude odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (ORa) were estimated using binary logistic regression. 92.2% (964) performed delayed clamping. 69.3% (724) clamped the cord when it stopped beating. 83.8% (876) had heard of milking, and 55.9% (584) had never performed it. Professionals over 50 were less likely to perform delayed clamping, with an ORa of 0.24 (95% CI: 0.11–0.52), while midwives were more likely to perform delayed clamping than obstetricians, with an ORa of 14.05 (95% CI: 8.41–23.49). There is clinical variability in the management of umbilical cord clamping and the use of milking in normal births. Part of this variability can be attributed to professional and work environment factors.

Placental cord drainage in the third stage of labor: Randomized clinical trial

Methods

An open randomized clinical trial was developed at Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP) in Recife and at Petronila Campos Municipal Hospital in São Lourenço da Mata, both in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, including 226 low-risk pregnant women bearing a single, full-term, live fetus after delayed cord clamping, 113 randomized to placental cord drainage and 113 to a control group not submitted to this procedure. Women incapable of understanding the study objectives and those who went on to have an instrumental or cesarean delivery were excluded.

Results

Duration of the third stage of labor did not differ between the two groups (14.2±12.9 versus 13.7±12.1 minutes (mean ± SD), p = 0.66). Likewise, there was no significant difference in mean blood loss (248±254 versus 208±187ml, p = 0.39) or in postpartum hematocrit levels (32.3±4.06 versus 32.8±4.25mg/dl, p = 0.21). Furthermore, no differences were found between the groups for any of the secondary outcomes (postpartum hemorrhage >500 or >1000ml, therapeutic use of oxytocin, third stage >30 or 60 minutes, digital evacuation of the uterus or curettage, symptoms of postpartum anemia and maternal satisfaction).

Conclusion

Placental cord drainage had no effect in reducing duration or blood loss during the third stage of labor.

Clinical trials registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: www.clinicaltrial.gov, NCT01655576.