Abstract
Background: Many neonatal deaths are caused by infections that may be caused by the newly cut umbilical cord stump.
Objectives: To assess the relationship between using alcohol swab cleaning of umbilical cord and the time of healing of the umbilicus till cord separation and associated complications.
Methods: A cross sectional study was done on 620 Saudi children from Taif city, Saudi Arabia. A checklist was used that included items to collect data about the children's gender, current age, place of delivery, umbilical cord status, catheter use, umbilical cord color, umbilical discharge, skin around cord, materials used for umbilical cord care, frequency of care, time of separation of the cord and source of information for mother about cord care.
Results: 91.9% of studied children had an intact umbilical cord, 9% of children had an umbilical discharge, and 69.2% had a cord separation within a week. A significant higher percentage of mothers who reported that their children had an intact umbilical cord were using Chlorhexidine for cord care, and a significant high percentage of those who had a cord discharge were treated with a medical powder. Umbilical cord care by alcohol had a significant higher percentage of time of separation, within days, compared to other modalities.
Conclusion: Further studies that include a larger sample of children is required, and health educational programs regarding umbilical cord directed to pregnant mothers during antenatal visits is needed.