Is cord blood erythropoietin a marker of intrapartum hypoxia?
A sensitive assay was used to compare the biological activity of cord serum erythropoietin in two groups of infants born with or without labor-induced hypoxia. The mean cord serum erythropoietin activity in 161 infants delivered after vaginal labor was 116 +/- 36 mU/mL, and was indistinguishable from that observed in 23 infants delivered by preplanned, elective cesarean section, 114 +/- 12 mU/mL (P = .75). The bioassay measured effective erythropoietin activity, including the contribution of potentiators in serum. These results indicate that duration and intensity of labor are insufficient to cause a significant increase in effective erythropoietin activity.
Halevi
A
A
Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Bikur Cholim Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Dollberg
S
S
Manor
D
D
Nussinovich
R
R
Kaempfer
R
R
Gale
R
R
D002585:Cesarean Section; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D011247:Pregnancy; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood
D004921:Erythropoietin