Umbilical blood sampling in delivery room

[Darya]

Hello!
Could anybody share with me your protocol of umbilical blood sampling in delivery room, if you do it routinely? I wonder what do you check – lactate, pH or any other, in arterial or venous blood. What is your interpretation? What part of umbilical cord do you use? Is it important – the time after cutting the cord?
We want to improve this procedure in our clinic.
Thank you very much.
Daria

[JACK]

Check this out:

http://www.perinatology.theclinics.com/article/S0095-5108(07)00040-1/abstract (http://www.perinatology.theclinics.com/article/S0095-5108(07)00040-1/abstract)

I have read this article and it answers all your queries

[Darya]

Thank you very much. Good article.

[Alexander Rakow]

In our delivery unit, umbilical blood sampling is performed in all infants (almost). The idea is to keep up a good routine for sampling, so it is performed when it is really wanted...
I am not sure this is good strategy, one could really argue that it is "over-sampling".
We take both venous and arterial blood for analysis.

[Ron Heese]

We attempt to sample the umbilical vessels from every delivery (which of course is not always possible). Double clamped segments of cords are placed on ice immediately and samples taken and analyzed within 1 hour of the delivery. Samples are taken from both the artery and the vein. Analysis is done for PO2, PCO2, ph, HCO3(st), BD/BE, and more and more we are also including lactate.

Ron Heese

Clinical Specialist, RRT

Children’s Respiratory Therapy.

Women’s and Child Health Program

Health Sciences Center

School of Medical Rehabilitation

University of Manitoba

(204) 787-2310 Pager 3009

rheese@hsc.mb.ca