Reticulocyte Count: The Forgotten Factor in Transfusion Decisions for Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nakhla ◽  
Alla Kushnir ◽  
Rafat Ahmed ◽  
Vineet Bhandari ◽  
Krystal Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Reticulocyte Count ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Reference Ranges ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Packed Red Blood Cells

Objective Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants often receive transfusions of packed red blood cells (PRBCs). Long-term outcomes of infants treated with liberal versus restricted transfusion criteria have been evaluated with conflicting results. Clinicians incorporate a reticulocyte count (RC) in their transfusion decisions. There is a lack of information on reference ranges for RCs in growing ELBW infants and whether infant's chronologic age or corrected gestational age (GA) generates a specific trend in the RCs. Our aim was to evaluate the levels of RCs obtained from ELBW infants over the course of the initial hospitalization. Study Design A retrospective chart review of ELBW infants treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and had RCs performed. We analyzed the RCs to observe trends based on the chronologic age and corrected GA. Results A total of 738 RCs were analyzed. A positive trend in RCs that reached a peak at 32 to 34 weeks' corrected GA and then experienced a downward trend was observed. Conclusion Our report examines a very common hematologic test that is theoretically helpful but is in need of guidelines concerning the appropriate frequency of testing and its utility in making transfusion decisions in ELBW infants. Key Points

Reticulocyte Count: The Forgotten Factor in Transfusion Decisions for Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nakhla ◽  
Alla Kushnir ◽  
Rafat Ahmed ◽  
Vineet Bhandari ◽  
Krystal Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Reticulocyte Count ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Reference Ranges ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Packed Red Blood Cells

Background: Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants often receive transfusions of packed red blood cells. Long-term outcomes of infants treated with liberal versus restricted transfusion criteria have been evaluated with conflicting results. Clinicians incorporate a reticulocyte count (RC) in their transfusion decisions. There is a lack of information on reference ranges for RCs in growing ELBW infants and whether infant’s chronologic age or corrected gestational age generates a specific trend in the RCs. Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the levels of RCs obtained from ELBW infants over the course of the initial hospitalization. Study Design: A retrospective chart review of ELBW infants treated in the neonatal intensive care unit and had RCs performed. We analyzed the RCs to observe trends based on the chronologic age and corrected gestational age. Results: A total of 738 RCs were analyzed. A positive trend in RCs that reached a peak at 32-34 weeks corrected gestational age and then experienced a downward trend was observed. Conclusions: Our report examines a very common hematologic test that is theoretically helpful but is in need of guidelines concerning the appropriate frequency of testing and its utility in making transfusion decisions in ELBW infants.

scholarly journals Outcome of primary peritoneal drainage in perforated necrotizing enterocolitis: an experience with 96 infants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumar Abdul Rashid ◽  
Reyaz Ahmad Wani ◽  
Shafat Ahmad Tak ◽  
Omar Masood ◽  
Amat U. Samie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Necrotizing Enterocolitis ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Exploratory Laparotomy ◽  
Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Peritoneal Drainage

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a life-threatening inflammation of neonatal intestine of multifactorial etiology. In early stages, medical management is considered; while as a transmural disease with pneumatosis or perforation needs surgical attention. Primary peritoneal drainage has evolved as an alternative to classic exploratory laparotomy especially in sick preterm and very low birth weight infants.Methods: In our study, we tried to employ primary peritoneal drainage as an initial intervention in all surgical necrotizing enterocolitis patients and analyzed the results and final outcome in terms of total days in neonatal intensive care unit, total parenteral nutrition days, days to start oral feeds, need for laparotomy, mortality and other complications.Results: Around one-third patients were either very low or extremely low birth weight and 80% patients were preterm. Primary peritoneal drainage was successful without need for laparotomy in around 65% of patients. In the rest 34 patients, 24 were subjected to rescue laparotomy, while 10 could not be stabilized for major surgery. Overall mortality was 29.16%.Conclusions: Early bedside primary peritoneal drainage can be employed in all cases of NEC with perforation with rescue laparotomy to be determined by subsequent monitoring. This strategy seems to be safe and cost-effective in a resource challenged set up and lifesaving in sick and extremely low birth weight infants.

The Etiology of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Death in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants: A Multicenter Survey in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianguo Zhou ◽  
Yin Ba ◽  
Yang Du ◽  
Sam Bill Lin ◽  
Chao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Neonatal Death ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Severe Infection ◽  
Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants

Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to identify causes of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) death in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants less than 1,000 g admitted in Chinese tertiary NICUs. Study design We retrospectively collected data on 607 ELBW infants from 39 level III NICUs from July 2016 to June 2019. The primary causes of death were compared among different gestation age, postnatal age groups, and areas with variable economic status. Results Among all 607 ELBW NICU deaths, 47.1% were multiple gestation with high rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) (43.3%); 53.4 and 34.1% received any or full course of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS). The most common causes of ELBW NICU death were respiratory distress syndrome-related neonatal respiratory failure (RDS-NRF, 43.5%), severe infection (19.1%), necrotizing enterocolitis or bowel perforation (9.4%), severe central nervous system injury (8.4%), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia-related respiratory failure (BPD-NRF, 7.7%). Causes of ELBW NICU death varied across postnatal age groups. RDS-NRF was the leading cause of early neonatal death, while severe infection in late neonatal death and BPD in postneonatal EBLW NICU death. RDS-NRF, severe brain injury, and asphyxia were most likely to die at early neonatal age (median age [interquartile range], 2 [0–5], 6 [3–9], and 3 [1–6] days, respectively) while severe infection and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) at late neonatal age, BPD-NRF at postneonatal age. Conclusion In Chinese tertiary NICUs, the major causes of death in extremely low birth weight infants were RDS, infection, NEC, brain injury and BPD, and they varied with postnatal age. Developing specific prevention strategies for identified causes of death in ELBW NICU may potentially improve ELBW survival.

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