Impact of Same Red Blood Cell Infusion at Different Intervals on Premature Infants' Hemoglobin Levels.

Purpose: Blood transfusions are performed in small amounts in premature infants. Few studies have focused on the effect of the same red blood cell (RBC) package at different intervals on increasing hemoglobin(Hb) concentration. We aimed to determine the effect of infusion of the same RBC package at different time intervals on Hb levels in premature infants.

Patients and methods: Data were collected about premature infants who received the same package of RBC transfusion at two different intervals. Venous blood Hb levels before and within 24 hours after transfusion were measured for the first and second transfusions. Overall, 196 premature infants with anemia were included in the study. The data were categorized into four groups (Group I, Group II, Group III and Group IV) based on the varying intervals between transfusions of the same red blood cells.

Results: Hb levels of the first and second transfusions with the same RBC package showed a significant difference pre and posttransfusion. Hb increments varied among groups: Group I (43.00 g/L), Group II (34.50 g/L), Group III (32.00 g/L), and Group IV (32.50 g/L), with Group I demonstrating a significant difference compared to Groups II, III, and IV (P<0.05), while no differences were noted among the latter groups.

Conclusion: In premature infants with anemia, hemoglobin levels significantly increased after infusion of the same RBC package at different intervals. An interval of 1 week had the most significant effect.

What is new: There are differences in the effect of infusion of the same RBC at different time intervals on hemoglobin levels in premature infants. An interval of 1 week had the most significant effect.