In countries with limited resources, stethoscopes are rarely available and heart rates are usually detected by palpitating the umbilical cord. Previous studies on dummies and healthy infants have shown that this method is somewhat inaccurate. The hypothesis is that umbilical cord palpation might underestimate the heart rate, in particular when used on infants with bradycardia. The research objective is to accurately determine methods recommended for detecting heart rate in newborns who require resuscitation at birth.
