# Immediate KMC in high-resource neonatal intensive care units

Idea · id `maternal:idea-immediate-kmc-high-resource-nicu` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `15708f235d73cd42` (public)

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Browse, life stage: Newborn  

## In plain language

An untested question. Starting skin-to-skin care right after birth lowered deaths of small babies in the WHO iKMC trial, which ran in five hospitals in Africa and India. Would it also help small babies in well-equipped intensive care units? The trial's authors say this is not yet known.

## Technical summary

Hypothesis, not a result. The iKMC authors write that further studies in well-resourced settings could help determine whether the survival results are relevant to low-mortality settings with intensive infant monitoring. No test in a high-resource unit is recorded in this atlas.

## Claims, with the population each applies to

## Context: Hypothetical: infants of 1.0 to under 1.8 kg in high-resource neonatal intensive care units

Recipient: Newborn; Population: A hypothetical population for an untested question: infants with a birth weight of 1.0 to under 1.8 kg, of any gestational age, cared for in high-resource neonatal intensive care units. The iKMC trial enrolled this weight band in five tertiary hospitals in Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania.; Care setting: High-resource neonatal intensive care units. Hypothetical: no result recorded in this atlas covers this setting.; Geography: Not stated; hypothetical; Life stage: Neonatal period; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (hypothetical context)

### Hypothesis, not a result: starting continuous skin-to-skin care immediately after birth might also lower deaths or illness among infants of 1.0 to under 1.8 kg in high-resource neonatal intensive care units. The iKMC trial that found fewer deaths ran in five tertiary hospitals in Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania, and its authors say further studies in well-resourced settings could help show whether the results apply to low-mortality settings with intensive infant monitoring.

- Category: Hypothesis, not a demonstrated result
- Evidence stage: Hypothesis
- Certainty: Certainty not assessed
- Applies to: Recipient: Newborn; Population: A hypothetical population for an untested question: infants with a birth weight of 1.0 to under 1.8 kg, of any gestational age, cared for in high-resource neonatal intensive care units. The iKMC trial enrolled this weight band in five tertiary hospitals in Ghana, India, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania.; Care setting: High-resource neonatal intensive care units. Hypothetical: no result recorded in this atlas covers this setting.; Geography: Not stated; hypothetical; Life stage: Neonatal period; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (hypothetical context)
- Limitations: No test of immediate KMC in a high-resource unit is recorded in this atlas. The iKMC authors say the effect cannot be separated from the mother's continuous presence.
- Last checked: Not recorded
- Sources:
  1. Background: Immediate "Kangaroo Mother Care" and Survival of Infants with Low Birth Weight (Publication, edition Version of record not fetched (HTTP 403). The abstract comes from PubMed. Full-text facts come from the PMC author accepted manuscript PMC8108485.) <https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2026486>
     Locator: Discussion, para 3. Retrieved 2026-10-09T15:57:07Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 0945a417a4ffacfded839e4e8df7cf03c99c581e34fbca8ddd6daa7229b79bac.
     How it applies: The authors say applicability to low-mortality settings with intensive monitoring is untested.
  2. Background: Immediate "Kangaroo Mother Care" and Survival of Infants with Low Birth Weight (Publication, edition Version of record not fetched (HTTP 403). The abstract comes from PubMed. Full-text facts come from the PMC author accepted manuscript PMC8108485.) <https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2026486>
     Locator: Discussion, para 5. Retrieved 2026-10-09T15:57:07Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: 0945a417a4ffacfded839e4e8df7cf03c99c581e34fbca8ddd6daa7229b79bac.
     How it applies: The effect of early starting cannot be separated from the mother's presence.

## Connected pages

- Asks whether immediate KMC also helps in high-resource units: Immediate kangaroo mother care (`maternal:immediate-kmc`)
- Builds on the iKMC trial: WHO Immediate KMC Study (iKMC) (`maternal:ikmc-study`)

## Provenance

Content hash: 3bbe1e52f9dfe6839b40c80b9ab16c53e3e6c9c44bcd95b8c1ce09d8e6aca379
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-12
Evidence last checked: Not recorded