Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Stimulates Erythropoiesis and Reduces Erythrocyte Transfusions in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Shannon ◽  
Julian F. Keith ◽  
William C. Mentzer ◽  
Richard A. Ehrenkranz ◽  
Mark S. Brown ◽  
...  

Design and methods. We hypothesized that treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) would stimulate erythropoiesis and would thereby reduce the need for erythrocyte transfusions in preterm infants. We treated 157 preterm infants born at 26.9 ± 1.6 weeks of gestation who weighed 924 ± 183 g at birth with either subcutaneous r-HuEPO (100 U/kg/d, 5 days per week) or placebo for 6 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. All patients received oral iron and were managed according to uniform conservative transfusion guidelines. Results. Treatment with r-HuEPO was associated with fewer erythrocyte transfusions (1.1 ± 1.5 per infant in the r-HuEPO group versus 1.6 ± 1.7 per infant in the placebo group; P = .046) and with a reduction in the volume of packed erythrocytes transfused (16.5 ± 23.0 mL versus 23.9 ± 25.7 mL per infant; P = .023). Overall, 43% of the infants in the r-HuEPO group and 31% of placebo-treated infants were transfusion-free during the study (P = .18). The volume of blood removed for laboratory tests and the need for respiratory support at the start of treatment had major effects on transfusion requirements independent of r-HuEPO. Reticulocyte counts were higher during treatment in the r-HuEPO group (P = .0001), and r-HuEPO-treated infants had higher hematocrit values at the end of the study (32% versus 27.3% in the placebo group; P = .0001). We found no differences in the incidence of major complications of prematurity between the treatment groups. Conclusion. We conclude that treatment with r-HuEPO at a weekly dose of 500 U/kg stimulates erythropoiesis, moderates the course of anemia, is associated with a reduction in erythrocyte transfusions, and appears safe in very low birth weight preterm infants who are receiving iron supplements. Conservative transfusion criteria, minimization of phlebotomy losses, and treatment with r-HuEPO are complementary strategies to reduce erythrocyte transfusions in these infants.

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
BHN Yasmeen ◽  
MAKA Chowdhury ◽  
MM Hoque ◽  
MM Hossain ◽  
R Jahan ◽  
...  

Premature infants especially those with birth weight <1500 g suffer from Anaemia of prematurity (AOP) and associated problems. Erythropoietin therapy is a safe effective way to prevent and to treat anaemia of prematurity. To evaluate the effect of short term administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) with iron and folic acid in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates in the prevention of anaemia of prematurity. A randomized controlled trial was carried out at Dhaka Shishu Hospital. Sixty preterm very low birth weight (PTVLBW) babies were enrolled in this study. Thirty were assigned to rHuEPO group and 30 as control. Baseline haematologic values were estimated before administration of rHuEPO. From day 7 of life rHuEPO-200 IU/kg/dose subcutaneously every alternate day for 2 weeks was administered to rHuEPO group. All infants in both groups have received oral iron, folic acid from day 14. Clinical and haematological assessment was done at 6 and 10 weeks of life. Baseline clinical characteristics and haematologic values were almost similar in both groups. This study has shown increase in haematological values(haemoglobin and haematocrit) and reduction in the number of blood transfusions during both the 1st and 2nd follow up in rHuEPO group in comparison to control group (p<0.01). Short term rHuEPO appears to be very effective in prevention of Anaemia of prematurity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmrcb.v38i3.14340 Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2012; 38(3): 119-123 (December)


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gaohong Wu ◽  
Xiaoqian Chen ◽  
Ningxun Cui ◽  
Yunxia He ◽  
Jiaying Fan ◽  
...  

Background. Cholestasis is a common but serious clinical condition in preterm neonates. The current management for preterm neonatal cholestasis has limitations. The aim of this study was to determine effects of Bifidobacterium supplementation on the prevention and alleviation of cholestasis in preterm infants with very low birth weight. Methods. Preterm neonates with very low birth weight were enrolled in the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University between December 2012 and December 2017. The patients were randomly assigned into Bifidobacterium and control groups, and effects of Bifidobacterium supplementation on the outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results. There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics in the two groups. Notably, the proportion of cases with neonatal cholestasis was significantly lower, with fewer neonatal cholestasis-associated complications in the Bifidobacterium group compared with the control group (6% versus 22%, P<0.01). Furthermore, the Bifidobacterium group exhibited less severe cholestasis and better improvement of the liver function than the control group as evidenced by the biochemical tests (P<0.05). Finally, comparison of the other outcomes revealed that significant shorter duration of hospitalization (14.45±2.13 versus 16.12±2.22 days, P<0.01), fewer days to reach the full enteral feeding (9.2±2.11 versus 12±5.67 days, P<0.01), shorter duration of meconium passage (5.0±3.6 versus 6.6±3.38 days, P<0.05), lower proportion of cases on fasting and duration of fasting (0.8% versus 5.6%, P<0.05 and 3.0±1.6 versus 5.6±2.38 days, P<0.01, respectively), and shorter duration of weight gain to normal (4.77±2.49 versus 6.87±2.71 days, P<0.01) in the Bifidobacterium group versus the control group. Conclusions. Bifidobacterium supplementation has significantly preventive and other beneficial effects on the management of cholestasis in preterm infants with very low birth weight. Its long-term safety and effectiveness will need further investigation. This trial is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022296).


1994 ◽  
Vol 330 (17) ◽  
pp. 1173-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf F. Maier ◽  
Michael Obladen ◽  
Paul Scigalla ◽  
Otwin Linderkamp ◽  
Gabriel Duc ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Luciana Volpiano Fernandes ◽  
Ana Lucia Goulart ◽  
Amélia Miyashiro Nunes dos Santos ◽  
Marina Carvalho de Moraes Barros ◽  
Camila Campos Guerra ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajia Jing ◽  
Yiheng Dai ◽  
Yanqi Li ◽  
Ping Zhou ◽  
Xiaodong Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) treatment is critical to support survival and lung maturation in preterm infants, however, its effect on feeding and growth is unclear. Prior preterm delivery, it remains uncertain whether ACS treatment should be continued if possible (repeated course ACS), until a certain gestational age is reached. We hypothesized that the association of single-course ACS with feeding competence and postnatal growth outcomes might be different from that of repeated course ACS in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants born at 23–37 weeks’ gestation in South China from 2011 to 2014. Data on growth, nutritional and clinical outcomes were collected. Repeated course ACS was defined in this study as two or more courses ACS (more than single-course). Infants were stratified by gestational age (GA), including GA < 28 weeks, 28 weeks ≤ GA < 32 weeks and 32 weeks ≤ GA < 37 weeks. Multiple linear regression and multilevel model were applied to analyze the association of ACS with feeding and growth outcomes. Results A total of 841 infants were recruited. The results, just in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants born at 28–32 weeks’ gestation, showed both single and repeated course of ACS regimens had shorter intubated ventilation time compared to non-ACS regimen. Single-course ACS promoted the earlier application of amino acid and enteral nutrition, and higher rate of weight increase (15.71; 95%CI 5.54–25.88) than non-ACS after adjusting for potential confounding factors. No associations of repeated course ACS with feeding, mean weight and weight increase rate were observed. Conclusions Single-course ACS was positively related to feeding and growth outcomes in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants born at 28–32 weeks’ gestation. However, the similar phenomenon was not observed in the repeated course of ACS regimen.


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