Cochrane-översikt om att förebygga navelinfektioner : Antiseptisk lösning är onödig i i-länder men livräddande i u-länder; evidensbaserad medicin

• One million newborn infants die every year by bacterial infections, which often have entered the body via the umbilicus. A Cochrane systematic review on "Topical umbilical cord care at birth" by J Zupan and P Garner is reviewed. Zupan and Garner conclude that simply to keep the umbilical cord dry and clean is sufficient for healthy, term neonates in rich countries; disinfectants do not offer any advantage. However, cleaning the umbilical cord with disinfectants may reduce the risk of serious bacterial infections in babies in poor countries or in neonatal wards. Observational studies in poor countries indicate that the life of numerous infants can be saved if pregnant women are vaccinated against tetanus and disinfectants are substituted for harmful cord care traditions. This Cochrane review is credible, but it should be updated and considered tentative since no data on sepsis are included. The search strategy should be better described and observational studies (case control and cohort studies) from poor countries should be included since there are no randomized control trials from these countries.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Dermatologi och venereologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Dermatology and Venereal Diseases (hsv//eng)

Keyword

umbilical cord

Dermatology and venerology,clinical genetics, internal medicine

Dermatologi och venerologi, klinisk genetik, invärtesmedicin

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)