• David A Paul, Kathleen H Leef, Robert G Locke, and John L Stefano.
• Department of Pediatrics, Christiana Care Health Services, Newark, Delaware 19718, USA. Paul.D@christianacare.org
• J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. 2002 Jan 1; 24 (1): 43-6.

BackgroundAlthough preterm infants often require transfusions of red blood cells for anemia of prematurity, the optimal volume of blood to be transfused has not been established.ObservationsInfants with birth weights between 500 and 1,500 g were randomly assigned to receive 10 or 20 mL/kg red blood cells. Infants with transfusions of 20 mL/kg had a greater hemoglobin (14.2 +/- 1.9 vs. 12.0 +/- 1.9 g/dL, P = 0. 003) and hematocrit (41.2 +/- 5.9 vs. 32.3 +/- 7.1%, P = 0.001) levels after transfusion compared with those who received transfusions of 10 mL/kg. There were no measured differences in pulmonary function in either group after transfusion.ConclusionsTransfusion with 20 mL/kg red blood cells produces a significantly greater increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit levels than does a transfusion with 10 mL/kg, without any detrimental effects on pulmonary function.

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