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. 1999 Mar;4(2):105-7.
doi: 10.1093/pch/4.2.105.

Care of the umbilical cord after birth: A limited review of recent literature

C R Walker  1
Affiliations

Care of the umbilical cord after birth: A limited review of recent literature

C R Walker. Paediatr Child Health. 1999 Mar.

Abstract
in English, French

A 1992 meta-analysis did not find enough evidence to recommend one method of umbilical cord care as the 'best'. However, certain agents were deemed acceptable including triple dye, silver sulfadiazine and antibiotic ointments. In this paper, the authors sought to discover whether there was now evidence to support one specific method of cord care over others for the prevention of bacterial infection. After a limited search of the English language literature published in the past 10 years, little evidence was found to suggest that treatments to sterilize or speed up the drying of the umbilical cord were either routinely necessary or efficacious. Results from nine studies are summarized in this paper.

Dans une méta-analyse effectuée en 1992, on n’avait pas recueilli assez d’observations pour qu’il soit possible de recommander la «meilleure» méthode de soins du cordon ombilical. Cependant, certains agents étaient jugés acceptables, dont la teinture à triple coloration, la sulfadiazine d’argent et les onguents antibiotiques. Dans le présent article, les auteurs ont cherché à découvrir s’il existe maintenant assez de données pour préconiser une méthode précise de soins au cordon afin de prévenir l’infection bactérienne. Après une recherche limitée de la documentation spécialisée publiée en anglais depuis 10 ans, on constate que peu d’éléments laissent supposer qu’un traitement pour stériliser le cordon ombilical ou en accélérer le dessèchement est nécessaire ou efficace de manière systématique. Les résultats de neuf études sont résumés.

Keywords: Bacterial colonization; Cord care; Cord separation; Omphalitis; Umbilical cord.

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