Table 2

Results of blood transfusion and body iron status of the infants studied (n=17)

Patient no		Total volume of blood transfused (ml)		Net volume of blood transfused (ml)		Serum iron (μmol/l)		TIBC (μmol/l)		% Saturation		Serum ferritin (pmol/l)	Liver iron concentration (μmol/g (mg/g) dry weight)	Liver histology		Cause of death and relevant clinical details
Patient no		Total volume of blood transfused (ml)		Net volume of blood transfused (ml)		Serum iron (μmol/l)		TIBC (μmol/l)		% Saturation		Serum ferritin (pmol/l)	Liver iron concentration (μmol/g (mg/g) dry weight)	Grade (0–4)	Kupffer cells	Cause of death and relevant clinical details	Hepatocytes
Group A (n=9): infants receiving <100 ml of blood
1	8	2.6	12	28	43	299	8.3 (0.5)	0	−	−	RDS
2	11	5.1	6	15	40	126	6.3 (0.4)	0	−	−	RDS
3	32	13.7	16	23	70	902	15.4 (0.9)	0	−	−	RDS, air embolism
4	35	29.3	13	38	34	352	8.8 (0.5)	0	−	−	RDS
5	20	15.0	13	29	45	297	8.6 (0.5)	0	−	−	RDS
6	51	27.9	16	14	114	2 330	30.5 (1.7)	2	++	−	RDS, Aplasia cutis congenita
7	62	37.4	14	16	88	678	16.4 (0.9)	1	+	−	RDS
8	60	46.8	6	6	100	488	24.5 (1.4)	1	+	−	Severe intraventricular haemorrhage
9	67	26.4	12	12	100	10 772	17.1 (1.0)	1	+	−	RDS

Group B (n=8): infants receiving ⩾100 ml of blood
10	370	234.8	24	42	57	2 809	64.3 (3.6)	2	++	−	BPD, cholestatic jaundice
11	171	107.9	17	26	65	4 840	17.1 (1.0)	1	+	−	RDS
12	180	98.1	26	42	62	44 880	28.2 (1.6)	1	+	−	NEC, cholestatic jaundice
13	133	43.0	19	22	86	2 200	14.2 (0.8)	0	−	−	Severe intraventricular haemorrhage
14	213	93.5	11	21	52	11 726	43.2 (2.4)	1	+	−	NEC, septicaemia
15^2-150	480	293.2	22	22	100	20 790	69.4 (3.9)	3	+++	+	BPD, cholestatic jaundice
16^2-150	1034	616.0	48	51	94	9 306	99.8 (5.6)	3	+++	+	BPD
17	188	35.0	25	32	78	3 036	168.3 (9.4)	2	++	+	Pulmonary hypoplasia, ? Larsen's syndrome

↵2-150 Double volume exchange transfusion.
TIBC, total iron binding capacity; RDS, respiratory distress syndrome; BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia; NEC, necrotising enterocolitis.