This special series on “From Bench to Bedside: Advancing Umbilical Cord Management Practices” is edited by Dr. Ola Andersson, and Dr. Ola D. Saugstad.

With this issue, we seek to advance understanding and improve clinical practice across the full spectrum of cord clamping and placental transfusion, from fundamental physiology to strategies for global implementation. We are inviting contributions that will provide the pediatric, neonatal, obstetric, and midwifery communities with complementary reviews, fostering innovation in this critical area of neonatal care.

Ola Andersson, MD, PhD
Department of Neonatology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö/Lund, Sweden; Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Pediatrics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Dr. Ola Andersson is an Associate Professor at Lund University and Senior Consultant in Neonatal Medicine at Skåne University Hospital, Sweden. He earned his PhD in Pediatrics from Uppsala University in 2013, focusing on delayed versus early umbilical cord clamping effects on newborn health.

Dr. Andersson's randomized controlled trial demonstrated that delayed cord clamping reduces neonatal anemia and iron deficiency, with children showing 90% reduction in iron deficiency and improved fine motor skills at 4 years. His research has influenced international clinical practice, contributing to revised guidelines on cord clamping.

Currently, Dr. Andersson leads the multicenter SUCCECS trial investigating resuscitation with intact cord circulation for neonates requiring support during emergency cesarean deliveries. His recent research extends cord clamping safety beyond 3 minutes and focuses on implementation of intact cord resuscitation techniques.

Dr. Andersson has received prestigious awards including the Rolf Zetterström Award (2014) and Hugo Lagercrantz Award (2019). He has supervised multiple PhD students and published extensively on neonatal care, cord clamping safety, and implementation research addressing critical global health issues.

Ola Didrik Saugstad, MD, PhD
Department of Pediatric Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, Illinois, USA

Dr. Ola Didrik Saugstad is the Professor of Pediatrics, and was Director of Pediatric Research at the University of Oslo between 2001-2018, Norway, a researcher at the Oslo University hospital and an Adjunct Professor at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA. He received an MD from Medical School University of Oslo in 1973, and worked as a research fellow at the University of Uppsala, Sweden and University of Oslo from 1973 to 1976. In 1981, he received the Post doc (NIH grant) from the University of California San Diego. He has broad background in perinatal and neonatal medicine.

He has published more than 500 articles, of these 39 reviews, recorded in PubMed > 12000 citations and a series of book chapters in international books in perinatal/ neonatal medicine. His work has been supported by the Norwegian Council for Research (NFR) the last 30 years and some programs were supported by the Norwegian private organizations, EU, NIH, and Health Trust South East Norway, and EEA grants. He served on numerous committees at the European Society for Pediatric Research, the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, and is member of American Pediatric Society (USA), the International Academy of Perinatal Medicine, the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh and the Norwegian Academy of Science an Letters.

He is honorary member of Hungarian Association of Pediatrics, Norwegian Society for Perinatal Medicine, Finnish Society for Perinatal Medicine, European Association of Perinatal Medicine, American Pediatric Society, and German Society for Perinatal Medicine. He is Honorary Professor at Moscow University and Honorary Doctor of University of Athens.

Series outline:

Editorial

• From Bench to Bedside: Advancing Umbilical Cord Management Practices

Ola Andersson, Sweden and Ola D. Saugstad, Norway

Review article

• Umbilical Cord Milking for Compromised Neonates: Translating Trial Evidence to Bedside Algorithms

Anup Katheria, USA

• Physiological-Based Cord Clamping (PBCC): Results of the ABC Trials and the Road to Routine Practice

Arjan te Pas, the Netherlands

• From Evidence to Implementation: Global Uptake of Deferred Cord Clamping in Preterm Care

Heike Rabe, UK

• From Transfusion to Transformation: How Placental Blood Shapes Multiorgan Growth, Maturation, and Lifelong Health

Judith Mercer, USA

• Intact Cord Resuscitation for Term Infants: Clinical Benefits, Implementation Challenges, and Pathways to Practice Integration

Ola Andersson, Sweden

• Placental Transfusion Strategies in Asphyxiated Preterm Models: Insights for Human Trials

Praveen Chandrasekharan, USA

• Optimising Oxygen Delivery During Intact-Cord Resuscitation: Balancing Hyperoxia and Hypoxia

Christina Sollinger and Satyan Lakshminrusimha, USA

Disclosure:
The series “From Bench to Bedside: Advancing Umbilical Cord Management Practices” was commissioned by the editorial office, Pedatric Medicine without any sponsorship or funding. Dr. Ola Andersson and Dr. Ola Didrik Saugstad are serving as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series. Dr. Ola Didrik Saugstad serves as an unpaid Associate Editor-in-Chief of Pedatric Medicine from January 2024 to December 2025.