RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Effect of blood transfusion on lipid peroxidation in preterm infants JF Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition JO Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health SP F46 OP F48 DO 10.1136/fn.86.1.F46 VO 86 IS 1 A1 S P Wardle A1 J Drury A1 R Garr A1 A M Weindling YR 2002 UL http://fn.bmj.com/content/86/1/F46.abstract AB Objective: To see whether there was a link between blood transfusion and lipid peroxidation as measured by urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in preterm infants. Methods: Urine samples were collected before and after blood transfusions in preterm infants. Twenty blood transfusion episodes were studied in 12 infants (some infants were studied on more than one occasion). Twenty two infants who had not received a transfusion were used as controls. All infants were preterm and less than 1500 g birth weight. Urinary MDA was measured using a thiobarbituric acid assay and expressed as nmol/mg creatinine. Results: The median (interquartile range) urinary MDA concentration before transfusion was 9.1 (6.4–12.6) nmol/mg, and was not significantly different from that in the 22 non-transfused infants (11.3 (7.3–15.6) nmol/mg). There was a significant increase 24 hours after transfusion to 14.6 (7.3–23.7) nmol/mg, but it decreased to 10.1 (6.6–15.4) nmol/mg when measured a median (range) of 6 (3–9) days later. Conclusions: Blood transfusions were associated with evidence of increased lipid peroxidation. If lipid peroxidation contributes to the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease, these results suggest an explanatory mechanism.