A recent study by Gülmezoglu and co-workers in the Lancet shows that controlled cord traction can be omitted and that the administration of a uterotonic agent is the key intervention that will prevent excessive bleeding after childbirth. Yap-Seng Chong and Sabaratnam Arulkumaran comment that authors have made it easier for health authorities with scarce resources to provide meaningful assistance to women in rural areas with few or no childbirth facilities.
