Placental Transfusion Strategies in Italy: ANationwide Survey of Tertiary-CareDelivery Wards

Objective Delayed umbilical cord clamping and cord milking are placental transfusion strategies that produce higher iron stores and better hemodynamic conditions in a newborn. We aimed to evaluate their current practice in tertiary-care delivery wards in Italy. Study Design A multiple-choice questionnaire was e-mailed to all the 101 Italian tertiary-care delivery wards. The comparative analysis between categorical variables was performed by the chi(2) test. Result We obtained an 85% (86/101) response rate. Where placental transfusion strategies were applied, in 61% of cases they were performed in less than half of deliveries. Obstetric-neonatal guidelines were available in 21% of the centers. Where they were available, application of delayed clamping and milking was significantly more frequent and clamping time was longer. Conclusion This first Italian nationwide survey on placental transfusion strategies showed low application rate and variability in knowledge and execution. Availability of obstetric-neonatal guidelines, knowledge of benefits, and cooperation within the delivery team were associated with enhanced implementation.