Maternal risk factors in umbilical cord entanglement

Abstract

Introduction. The most common cord entanglement is nuchal cord with an incidence of 15- 34%; single loop 24-28% and multiple loops 0.5-3.3%. Nuchal cord occurs when the umbilical cord becomes wrapped around the fetal neck at 360°. At delivery, the encircled cord might be compressed, causing blood flow obstruction. As shown previously, this intermittent regional obstruction may result in neonatal compromise. Thus, it is very interesting to study the risk factors that lead to the entanglement of the umbilical cord.