The Effect of Nuchal Cord on Umbilical Cord Blood Gases and Neonatal Outcomes

Aim: To investigate the perinatal outcome and umbilical cord blood gases in two groups of neonates with and without nuchal cord in Rasht. Methods: This cohort study was performed on 168 pregnant women with term pregnancy referred to Azzahra hospital in Rasht in 2018. Two groups) with and without nuchal cord), were compared in maternal demographic characteristics, PH, and cord blood gases and perinatal variables.SPSS-20 was used. Chi-square and Fisherexact test were used to compare the qualitative and quantitative data. Mann-Whitney test was used for non-normal distribution. p<0.05 was taken as the significant level. Results: The mean of cord blood pH in the nuchal cord group was lower than in the group without nuchal cord, which was statistically significant difference (p=0.005). There were no statistically significant differences in the other parameters related to umbilical cord blood gases and perinatal outcomes in the two groups. There was no statistically significant in PH and other umbilical cord blood gases in neonates with single and multiple nuchal cord (p=0.06) Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that although the nuchal cord leads to a decrease in the PH of the arterial blood of the umbilical cord, however, this decrease is clinically insignificant. In other arterial blood gas parameters, there was no significant difference between two groups with and without nuchal cord. There may be different results in studies with larger sample sizes and simultaneous test of arterial and venous blood gases.