Abstract: Objectives: To systematically compare the effects of Umbilical Cord Milking (UCM) with those of Delayed Cord Clamping (DCC) on premature infants. Methods: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Clinical Trials. gov, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP database were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of UCM with those of DCC on premature infants. The studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the standard methodological procedures were used to extract the data and assess the quality. Data was analyzed by Revman 5.3. Results: Totally 8 eligible RCTs enrolling 892 premature infants were picked out. Meta-analysis showed that compared with DCC, UCM could reduce the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhages (IVHs) [OR=0.64, 95% CI (0.41, 0.99), P=0.04] and improve the cognitive and language ability of premature infants at the age of 2 [Cognitive ability: OR=0.24, 95% CI (0.07, 0.77), P=0.02; Language ability: OR=0.45, 95% CI (0.22, 0.90), P=0.02]. However, as to indicators like in-hospital mortality, hemoglobin level at birth, initial hematocrit level, maximum serum bilirubin, necrotizing enterocolitis and the need for transfusion, no significant differences were observed. Conclusion: UCM, when compared with DCC, may lower the risk of IVH and improve the cognitive and language ability of premature infants at the age of 2. However, large-scale studies with high quality are still needed.

Key words: Umbilical Cord Milking; delayed cord clamping; premature infants; Meta-analysis