Contemporary Nursing

Objective To explore the efficacy of 75% ethanol, 0.5% iodophor and 3% hydrogen peroxide in neonatal umbilical cord care, and to evaluate their effects on umbilical cord shedding, infection prevention and control, and inflammatory response. Methods 180 neonates were randomly divided into three groups and treated with three different care regimens. The time to umbilical cord shedding and drying, the incidence of infection and redness, and inflammatory markers such as IL-6, CRP, and WBC were compared. The microbial clearance effect was also evaluated. Results The iodophor group had the shortest time to umbilical cord shedding and drying, the lowest incidence of infection and redness, significantly lower inflammatory markers than the ethanol group, better microbial clearance effect than ethanol, and the highest parental satisfaction. The hydrogen peroxide group had more cases of fungal colonization. Conclusion 0.5% iodophor is the most effective in neonatal umbilical cord care, accelerating umbilical cord shedding, reducing infection and inflammation, and improving care satisfaction. It has high clinical application value.

Neonates; Umbilical cord care; Ethanol; Iodophor; Hydrogen peroxide; Infection control