Kangaroo care could slash sepsis risk in tiny newborns

NCT ID NCT05993442

Recruiting now Prevention Sponsor: PENTA Foundation Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether increasing kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) in neonatal intensive care units can reduce severe infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in very premature infants (born before 32 weeks). Over 3,000 babies across multiple hospitals will be involved. The goal is to see if a simple, low-tech intervention can make a big difference in preventing hospital-acquired infections.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: optimised kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost way to prevent life-threatening infections in vulnerable premature babies.
What could go wrong: This is a large trial, but kangaroo care is already standard in many settings; the benefit may be modest or hard to implement consistently across units.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

bacterial infectious disease neonatal sepsis prevention target nosocomial infection prevention target

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

INFECTION PREVENTION INFECTION, BACTERIAL

Contacts and locations

Locations

Aglaia Kyriakou Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Athens, Greece
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria S.Anna di Ferrara
RECRUITING

Ferrara, Italy
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Modena
RECRUITING

Modena, Italy
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
RECRUITING

Birmingham, United Kingdom
Children's Hospital of Eastern Switzerland St.Gallen
COMPLETED

Sankt Gallen, Switzerland
City St George's, University of London
RECRUITING

London, United Kingdom
Cruces University Hospital
RECRUITING

Bilbao, Spain
Hippokration Hospital - Thessaloniki
COMPLETED

Thessaloniki, Greece
Hospital General Universitario Alicante
RECRUITING

Alicante, Spain
Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga (Carlos Haya)
RECRUITING

Málaga, Spain
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
COMPLETED

Geneva, Switzerland
Inselspital - University Hospital of Bern
COMPLETED

Bern, Switzerland
Ioannina University Hospital
COMPLETED

Ioannina, Greece
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
RECRUITING

Norwich, United Kingdom
Ospedale San Bortolo di Vicenza
RECRUITING

Vicenza, Italy
Ospedale Universitario Policlinico Paolo Giaccone
RECRUITING

Palermo, Italy
Papageorgiou Hospital
COMPLETED

Thessaloniki, Greece
St Mary's Hospital
RECRUITING

Manchester, United Kingdom
University General Hospital Attikon
COMPLETED

Attiki, Greece
University General Hospital of Patras
RECRUITING

Pátrai, Greece
University Hospital of Heraklion
COMPLETED

Heraklion, Greece
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
RECRUITING

Coventry, United Kingdom
University of Basel Children's Hospital
COMPLETED

Basel, Switzerland
Universitätsspital Zürich - University Hospital Zurich
COMPLETED

Zurich, Switzerland

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