OBJECTIVE To compare the effect on umbilical care of the neonates between the natural dying method and the traditional ethanol disinfection method so as to provide a better method of umbilical nursing for the neonates.

METHODS A total of 212 healthy neonates who were given birth in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from Aug. 2024 to Nov. 2024 were recruited as the research subjects and were randomly divided into the natural drying method with 103 cases and the traditional ethanol disinfection method with 109 cases according to the method of umbilical care. The time of umbilical cord separation, rate of umbilical bleeding and incidence of umbilical secretions were observed and compared between the two groups of neonates.

RESULTS There were 16 neonates with the healing time of umbilical cord separation no more than 7 days under the treatment of natural drying method, with 5 cases more than the neonates under the treatment of traditional ethanol disinfection method. The average healing time of umbilical cord separation was 11.69 days under the natural drying method, 1.43 days shorter than 13.12 days under the traditional ethanol disinfection method, and there was significant difference (P<0.05). The rate of umbilical bleeding was 5.82% under the natural drying method, a reduction of 0.60% as compared with 6.42% under the traditional ethanol disinfection method; the incidence of umbilical secretions was 0.97% under the national drying method, a reduction of 1.78% as compared with 2.75% under the traditional ethanol disinfection method, but there were no significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS As compared with the traditional ethanol disinfection method, the natural drying method can shorten the time of umbilical cord separation, reduce the risk of umbilical infection, and reduce the stress from the neonatal nursing. It is worthy to be promoted.