Neonatal transfusion practice
- Correspondence to:
Dr Murray
Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK; neil.murrayic.ac.uk
- Accepted 12 July 2003
Abstract
Many previously widely accepted neonatal transfusion practices are changing as neonatologists become more aware of the risks to their patients of multiple blood product transfusions. Recent literature and research on neonatal transfusion practice are here reviewed, and practical guidelines and trigger thresholds for blood products commonly used in neonatal medicine are proposed.
- BCSH, British Committee for Standards in Haematology
- CLD, chronic lung disease of prematurity
- DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation
- FFP, fresh frozen plasma
- FOE, fractional oxygen extraction
- HAS, human albumin solution
- Hb, haemoglobin
- IVH, intraventricular haemorrhage
- NEC, necrotising enterocolitis
- NHI, normal human immunoglobulin
- RBC, red blood cell
- rhEPO, recombinant human erythropoietin
