Patient characteristics of the three study groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| haemoglobin <6 mmol/l (haemoglobin <97 g/l) | haemoglobin 6–7 mmol/l (haemoglobin 97–113 g/l) | haemoglobin 7–8 mmol/l (haemoglobin 113–129 g/l) | |
| No of infants | N=8 | N=18 | N=14 |
| No of measurements | N=9 | N=21 | N=17 |
| Haemoglobin before transfusion (mmol/l) | 5.7 (3.7–5.9) | 6.7 (6.1–6.9) | 7.3 (7.0–7.9) |
| Haemoglobin before transfusion (g/l) | 92 (60–95) | 108 (98–111) | 118 (113–127) |
| Haematocrit before transfusion | 0.26 (0.19–0.28) | 0.31 (0.27–0.33) | 0.34 (0.31–0.36) |
| Haemoglobin after transfusion (mmol/l) | 8.0 (6.9–9.5) | 8.2 (7.3–9.9) | 8.8 (7.9–10.6) |
| Hemoglobin after transfusion (g/l) | 129 (111–153) | 132 (118–159) | 142 (127–171) |
| Haematocrit after transfusion | 0.35 (0.32–0.43) | 0.39 (0.34–0.46) | 0.40 (0.35–0.42) |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 27.0 (25–32) | 27.3 (25–34) | 26.6 (25–30) |
| Birth weight (g) | 1010 (730–1400) | 990 (605–2080) | 1000 (615–1840) |
| Male/female | 5/4 | 10/11 | 14/3 |
| Age (days) at transfusion | 27 (1–93) | 17 (2–75) | 13 (1–41) |
| Postmenstrual age (weeks) | 31.0 (26–39) | 31.3 (27–35) | 30.0 (26–34) |
| Intraventricular haemorrhage grade 1–2 | n=2 | n=1 | n=2 |
| Intraventricular haemorrhage grade 3 | n=0 | n=1 | n=1 |
| Conventional ventilation | n=3 | n=7 | n=8 |
| CPAP/nasal IMV | n=3 | n=8 | n=7 |
| No respiratory support | n=3 | n=6 | n=2 |
| FiO2 >0.21 | n=3 | n=8 | n=6 |
| Patency of the ductus arteriosus | none | n=4 | n=3 |
| Pco2 (kPa) | 5.8 (5.0–7.3) | 5.9 (4.1–7.8) | 6.0 (4.4–9.0) |
| Arterial blood pressure (mm Hg) | 41 (36–49) | 45 (31–66) | 41 (34–56) |
Data are expressed as median (min–max) or as numbers.
There were no differences between groups (Mann–Whitney U test and χ2 test-for-trend, when appropriate).
CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; FiO2, fractional inspired oxygen; IMV, intermittent mandatory ventilation.