Delayed cord clamping could reduce risk of premature infant death by 66%

The authors said that, worldwide, almost 13m babies are born prematurely every year and close to one 1m die shortly after birth.

Waiting for at least two minutes to clamp the umbilical cord of premature babies could decrease that child’s risk of death by as much as two-thirds, two new studies published in The Lancet have found.

The research, which included data from trials at Cork University Maternity Hospital, found that the risk of death may be reduced by as much as two-thirds when waiting at least two minutes compared to immediately clamping the cord.