Neonatal team takes out premier ACTA award

16/05/18

The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister of Health, presented Prof. Tarnow-Mordi with the award at a ceremony held at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on 16 May 2018.

The Australian Placental Transfusion Study showed that thousands of preterm babies could be saved by waiting 60 seconds before clamping the umbilical cord after birth instead of clamping it immediately, according to two international studies supported by hundreds of parents and professionals worldwide and coordinated by the CTC.

It found clear evidence that delayed clamping reduced hospital mortality by a third and is safe for mothers and preterm infants. The study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The outcomes of the two studies were presented to more than 1,350 international neonatal care professionals at the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) 2017 Annual Quality Congress in Chicago. The review, led by University of Sydney researchers, assessed morbidity and mortality outcomes from 18 trials comparing delayed versus immediate cord clamping in nearly 3,000 babies born before 37 weeks' gestation.

The review confirms new findings from the Australian Placental Transfusion Study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reporting that delayed clamping might reduce mortality before 36 weeks.

A summary of results has been prepared for APTS parents and can be found here.

Information about the APTS study can be found on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry here.

APTS in the news:

• ABC News
• Sydney Morning Herald