The Frequency of Packed Red Blood Cells Transfusion in Preterm Infants Admitted to NICU of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital During 2016

Abstract

Background: Red blood cells transfusion is a useful practice for preterm infants. Large amount of blood is usually wasted in the infants. Considering that few studies have been carried out on infants, the aim of current study was to investigate the frequency of packed red blood cells transfusion in preterm infants admitted to NICU of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd during 2016
 Materials and Methods: This retrospective descriptive-analytical study was conducted on infants admitted to Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran during 2016. Variables including fetal age, sex, birth weight, delivery method, Apgar score, infant status, premature birth complications and transfusion information were extracted from medical records of patients.
 Results: Current study was conducted on 335 premature infants. Among them, 85 cases were received packed red blood cells transfusion (25.4%). Of the infants receiving packed red blood cells, 59 cases (69.4%) were alive and 26 (30.6%) dead. Distribution of preterm complications in infants including respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, respiratory failure and Pneumothorax was observed in 66 (77.6%), 19(22.4%), 52(61.2%) and 14 patients (16.5%), respectively. There was significant difference between mean age and mean Apgar score in terms of transfusion (p<0.01). The mean volume of consumed blood was 34.20 ± 27.44 ml. The mean volume of wasted blood was 488.39±355.88 ml. Minimum and Maximum volume of wasted blood was 220 and 1873 ml.
 Conclusion: According to results of current study, the mean age and mean Apgar score in patients undergoing transfusion was lower than those did not have transfusion. Moreover, total volume of wasted blood was 14.2 times more than consumed blood. Therefore, optimal usage of blood products and the use of smaller blood bags are proposed in order to improve the health of infants in intensive care units and lessen complications of blood transfusion in newborns.

A cost-analysis study of using adult red cell packs and Pedi-Packs in Newborn Intensive Care Units in Southern Iran

“…Therefore, routine adult packs of fresh red cells (<5 or 7 days of storage) are utilized for premature neonates and infants traditionally (27)(28)(29). Consequently, due to small-blood volume consumption per transfusion, it not only results in multiple donors exposure but also causes wastage of a large number of blood supplies, as the proportion of 34.7% and 93% RBCs wastage have been reported in NICU and surgery units in different centers in Iran (30,31).…”

A Proposed Managerial Model for Improvement of Blood Consumption in the Operating Rooms in Southern Iran

“…In Iran, based on comprehensive research during 2005 -2015, the two main causes of blood product wastage were stated as date expiry and returned/reserved units of operating rooms and wards (1). On the other hand, 34.7% and 93% of the red blood cells (RBCs) wastage have been reported in surgery units in different medical centers of Iran (11,12). Lack of standard guidelines for proper blood ordering and consumption is stated as a major problem leading to blood wastage in Southern Iran, as well (13).…”