To dye or not to dye: a randomized, clinical trial of a triple dye/alcohol regime versus dry cord care.

Objective: The use of antibacterial agents to clean and dry the stump of the newborn's umbilical cord after birth has recently been abandoned by many neonatal units in favor of dry cord care. The objective of this study was to compare cord bacterial colonization and morbidity among newborns whose cords were treated with triple dye and alcohol versus dry cord care.

Methodology: We randomly allocated 766 newborns to either 2 applications of triple dye to the umbilical cord stump on the day of birth with alcohol swabbing twice daily until the cord fell off (n = 384) or dry care (n = 382).