Introduction
EPP, EVENTS, TRANSITION, UTERUS
Transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life is a critical process in which clamping of the umbilical cord represents one of the most significant events, particularly for infants born preterm.It is assumed that by performing PBCC, blood from the placenta stabilizes hemodynamic transition from prenatal to postnatal circulation when the cord is not clamped prior to lung aeration. However, it is unknown if a placenta detached from the uterus has the same hemodynamic effects given that there is still ongoing placental circulation from the extrauterine placenta to the infant. DunnThis is the first randomized clinical trial of EPP to our knowledge. We hypothesized that providing respiratory support with an intact umbilical cord by performing EPP for PBCC would increase mean hematocrit levels on the first day of life compared with DCC. In addition, we hypothesized that the EPP procedure would stabilize the circulation during neonatal transition and would not adversely affect short-term neonatal outcomes.