Background Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is practiced worldwide, as standard care in both term and preterm babies. Our aim was to determine the hemodynamic effects of DCC on transitional circulation. Material and methods This prospective observational study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital, at Pune, India, from May 2018 to October 2019.Term neonates born during the study period were included. The primary outcome variables of the study were right ventricular output (RVO), left ventricular output (LVO), superior vena cava (SVC) flow (ml/kg/min) and heart rate(HR) at 12 ± 6 and 48 ± 6 h of life measured by point of care functional echocardiography. Inter-observer and intra-observer variability was calculated for these parameters. Results Out of a total of 2744 deliveries during the study period, 620 babies were included. Mean gestational age of the enrolled babies was 38.96 ± 1.08 weeks and mean birth weight was 2.9 ± 0.39 kg. Mean heart rate of babies recorded at 12 ± 6 h of life was 127 beats per minute (bpm) whereas it was 128 bpm at 48 ± 6 h of life. RVO {mean (SD)} was 209.55(44.89) and 205.85(46.35) ml/kg/min, LVO {mean (SD)} was 133.68(31.15) and 134.78(29.84) ml/kg/min whereas SVC flow {mean (SD)} was 106.85(26.21) and 109.29(25.11) ml/kg/min at 12 ± 6 and 48 ± 6 h of life respectively. There was good intra-observer agreement in all the variables. SGA babies had a significantly higher heart rate at 12 ± 6 h of life as compared to AGA babies, although this difference in heart rate could not be appreciated at 48 ± 6 h of life. However SGA babies had a higher LVO, RVO and SVC flow than AGA babies at both the time points of observation. Conclusion After DCC there is less fluctuation in the hemodynamic parameters (heart rate, cardiac output) at the two time points of observation.. As compared to AGA babies, SGA babies had a significantly higher baseline heart rate, LVO, RVO and SVC flow. LVO of SGA babies after delayed cord clamping is found to be significantly lower than LVO seen in other studies, favoring the cardio-stabilizing effect of DCC. Brief rationale This is the first study with a large sample size evaluating the hemodynamic effects of DCC in term neonates by functional echocardiography. The normative data of heart rate and cardiac output of term, stable babies with small for gestational age(SGA) as a special subgroup undergoing DCC requires further evaluation.

Introduction: In a year, around 3.5 million preterm deliveries occur in India alone. Some of these babies will require packed cell volume (PCV) transfusion. There is a paucity of robust data on effect of blood transfusions on the cerebral hemodynamic from India. This study was done to see the effect of PCV transfusion on blood flow velocities and resistive index (RI) of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) in stable preterm infants.  Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Pune, India. All stable preterm infants (< 37 weeks) receiving PCV transfusion were enrolled. USG Doppler study of ACA was done before and after PCV transfusion. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and RI were measured pre and post PCV transfusion.  Results: Thirty infants were included in the study, with median gestation age of 28.8 {interquartile range (IQR), 27-30.55} weeks and median birth weight of 970 {interquartile range (IQR), 869.5 - 1190} grams. There was a significant decrease in PSV pre and post PCV transfusion - 58.46 (± 18.44) cm / sec and 46.34 (± 13.93) cm / sec respectively (p value < 0.001). Changes in RI and EDV were non-significant.  Conclusions: PCV transfusion significantly decreased PSV, reflecting improved cerebral oxygenation, and decreased cardiac output after correction of anaemia. Laboratory threshold for PCV transfusion in stable preterm infants are not known. USG Doppler study has the potential to provide one of the objective criteria for PCV transfusion in these infants though large scale randomized controlled trials are needed to prove its efficacy.