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Transfusion‐associated fall in platelet count in very low birthweight infants
Author(s) -
AUSTIN N.,
DARLOW B. A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1988.tb01388.x
Subject(s) - medicine , platelet , incidence (geometry) , mean platelet volume , pediatrics , etiology , nadir , gastroenterology , physics , optics , satellite , engineering , aerospace engineering
Thirty‐three infants with a birthweight of less than 1500 g were investigated retrospectively for the incidence and aetiology of thrombocytopenia occurring during the first week of life. The platelet count fell below 100 × 10 9 /l in 16 infants (48%). There was a moderately strong inverse correlation between the platelet count at its nadir during the first week or the first value below 100 × 10 9 /l and the percentage of blood volume transfused prior to this ( r =−0.61; P < 0.0001). When the platelet count was expressed as a percentage of the initial count the correlation was −0.74 ( P < 0.0001). The results were not affected by the elimination of the 10 infants with clinical conditions regarded as a probable cause of thrombocytopenia. The fitted least‐squares regression line suggests that a transfusion equal to 10% of the blood volume on average reduced the platelet count by 19 × 10 9 /l or by 7% in these very low birthweight infants during the first week of life.