Complications during neonatal hospitalisation
| Erythropoietin (N=26) | Placebo (N=24) | P value | |||
| n | Summary | n | Summary | ||
| Gastric bleeding | 26 | 3 (12%) | 24 | 1 (4%) | 0.6 |
| Persistent hypotension | 26 | 2 (8%) | 24 | 3 (13%) | 0.4 |
| Pulmonary haemorrhage | 26 | 1 (4%) | 24 | 2 (8%) | 0.6 |
| Persistent pulmonary hypertension | 26 | 5 (19%) | 24 | 5 (21%) | 1.0 |
| Coagulopathy or bleeding requiring blood products | 26 | 2 (8%) | 24 | 2 (8%) | 1.0 |
| Polycythaemia | 26 | 0 (0%) | 22 | 1 (4.5%) | 1.0 |
| Culture-positive early-onset sepsis | 26 | 3 (12%) | 24 | 3 (12%) | 0.6 |
| Severe thrombocytopenia | 26 | 1 (4%) | 24 | 2 (8%) | 0.6 |
| Persistent metabolic acidosis | 25 | 2 (8%) | 23 | 7 (29%) | 0.06 |
| Disseminated intravascular coagulation | 26 | 1 (3.8%) | 24 | 1 (4.2%) | 1.0 |
| Renal failure | 26 | 4 (15%) | 24 | 1 (4%) | 0.3 |
| Pneumonia | 26 | 1 (4%) | 24 | 2 (8%) | 0.6 |
| Hospital stay, days | 21 | 20 (15–28) | 13 | 16 (11–17) | |
| Normal neurological examination at discharge | 25 | 17 (68%) | 24 | 13 (54%) | |
| Death before discharge | 26 | 5 (19%) | 24 | 11 (46%) | 0.06 |
| Among moderate encephalopathy | 23 | 3 (13%) | 22 | 9 (40.9%) | 0.04 |
| Among severe encephalopathy | 3 | 2 (66.7%) | 2 | 2 (100%) | 1 |
| Death before discharge: causes* | |||||
| Proven sepsis | 3 | 3 | |||
| Multiorgan failure | 2 | 7 | |||
| Pneumonia | 1 | 1 | |||
| Suspected sepsis | 1 | 1 | |||
| PPHN (meconium aspiration) | 1 | 1 | |||
| Asphyxial brain injury† | 5 | 10 | |||
| PPHN (other) | 3 | 2 | |||
| Other causes | 2 | 0 | |||
| Discharge against medical advice‡ | 21 | 4 (19%) | 13 | 0 (0%) | |
*Multiple causes may apply.
†Clinical diagnosis of asphyxial brain injury. Polycythaemia indicates a haemoglobin level >22 g/dL. Severe thrombocytopenia refers to a platelet count of less than 25 000/μL or less than 50 000/μL with active bleeding. Persistent metabolic acidosis refers to a blood pH of less than 7.15 for more than 12 hours with a normal partial pressure of carbon dioxide.
‡Three of these neonates died subsequently.
PPHN, persistent pulmonary hypertension.