Abstract

Background :
The umbilical cord is the lifeline of the fetus and one of the most important parts of the fetoplacental unit. Short cord length has been associated with delivery complications and adverse fetal outcomes.
Aims and objectives: To find out the correlation between umbilical cord length and fetal outcome.
Methodology :
This is a prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Government Medical College, Srikakulam from November 2022 to January 2023. All cases admitted in the labour room and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criterias were taken into the study. The length of umbilical cord was measured after delivery along with other parameters like sex, weight and length of new born, Apgar score and postnatal follow up. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square test and a value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
Short cord length was associated with low Apgar at 1 min and 5 min(p value 0.03) and lower birth weight of the new born(p value 0.03). Adverse perinatal outcomes like stillbirth and NICU admissions were more common in the short cord group (p value 0.02).
Conclusion :
The present study showed that there is a positive correlation between cord length and birth weight of the babies, the Apgar score at 1 and 5min, NICU admission and perinatal outcome. Measurement of umbilical cord length offers an explanation when no apparent intrapartum complication is found for adverse perinatal outcome.