Skip to content

Topical Application of Chlorhexidine to the Umbilical Cord for Prevention of Omphalitis and Neonatal Mortality in Rural District of Pakistan

Topical Application of Chlorhexidine to the Umbilical Cord for Prevention of Omphalitis and Neonatal Mortality in Rural District of Pakistan: A Community-based Randomized Control Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00682006
Acronym
Chlorhexidine
Enrollment
9800
Registered
2008-05-21
Start date
2008-01-31
Completion date
2009-12-31
Last updated
2011-07-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Omphalitis

Keywords

Omphalitis, 4% Chlorhexidine, Newborns

Brief summary

The investigators hypothesize that application of 4% Chlorhexidine to the cord stump and meticulous hand washing by primary health care providers of newborn infants will reduce the incidence of Omphalitis and thereby Neonatal Mortality as compared to standardized dry cord care.

Detailed description

The prime objective of this study is to estimate the independent effect of 4% Chlorhexidine solution application to cord stump and hand washing with soap by mothers of newborns for 2 weeks after birth in reducing Omphalitis in neonates compared to routine cord care by TBAs (Traditional Birth Attendant) in rural district of Sindh, Pakistan. This study will be conducted in existing health infrastructure in a community setting with the help of two principal health care providers, TBAs and CHWs Community Health Workers) involved in maternal and newborn care. The TBAs conducting delivery wil be trained to wash hands with soap and water after completion of delivery and apply chlorhexidine to the Umbilical Cord Stump. The procedure will be repeated by the mother on the subsequent days up til 14 days from birth. The CHWs will also be trained to recognized signs of Omphalitis and record Cord Care in a systemic manner in a structured proforma. The study will continue longitudinally for a period of one year to follow newborn for the signs of Omphalitis.

Interventions

4% Chlorhexidine was provided to be applied in this arm to Mothers through TBAs.

OTHERHand washing Soap

Hand washing soap was provided to Mothers through TBAs.

Sponsors

John Snow, Inc.
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Aga Khan University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 28 Days
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* All healthy newborns, born in the study setting will be systematically enrolled in the trial

Exclusion criteria

* Infants with congenital/birth defects * Infants with any localized infection on the peri-umbilical region at the time of birth or application of any other material such as dung, etc before enrollment on the Cord.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Incidence of Neonatal OmphalitisBy the end of the styudy
Rate of Neonatal MortalityBy the end of the Study

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Breastfeeding rateBy the end of the Study
Rate of Serious Neonatal InfectionsBy the end of the Study
Utilization of Clean Delivery KitsBy the end of the Study
Application Practice of ChlorhexidineBy the end of the Study

Countries

Pakistan

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 27, 2026