“Impact of delayed cord clamping and immediate kangaroo mother care on oxygen saturation and heart rate in moderate and late preterm infants”

BACKGROUND: Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (iKMC) after delivery and delayed cord clamping (DCC), both improve cardiorespiratory stability in newborns. METHODS: This prospective observational study included 96 moderate to late preterm (MLPT) neonates. Preductal pulse oximetry (SpO₂) and heart rate (HR) were recorded during the first 10 min after birth. Neonates who received iKMC and DCC were compared to those who did not receive iKMC. RESULTS: iKMC was performed in 64.6% of the infants. The iKMC group showed a non-significant trend toward higher SpO₂ levels. Mean SpO₂ was 76.06% in the iKMC group versus 70.98% in the non-iKMC group; at 420 s, it was 95.13% versus 93.77%. HR was significantly higher in the iKMC group at all time points, averaging 102.2 bpm at 120 s compared to 87.1 bpm in the non-iKMC group. CONCLUSIONS: Combining iKMC with DCC improves hemodynamic stability and oxygenation in MLPT infants, with higher HR and earlier stabilization of SpO₂ levels.