title: Transfusion-induced changes in the breathing pattern of healthy preterm anemic infants.
abstract: In order to evaluate the effects of transfusion on breathing pattern in growing, otherwise healthy, anemic preterm infants, we studied 14 infants whose mean +/- SD birthweight was 1,212 +/- 294 grams, gestational age 29.28 +/- 2.23 weeks and hematocrit 25.86 +/- 2.24%. At a mean postnatal age of 41.35 +/- 19.45 days 12 hour nocturnal (transthoracic impedance) pneumocardiograms were obtained 24 hours prior to and after transfusion with 10 mL/kg of packed red blood cells. Posttransfusion pneumocardiograms revealed significant reduction of periodic breathing, of apnea episodes with 11-15 second duration, of apnea density, and of heart rate. These findings indicate that transfusion with packed red blood cells significantly alters certain cardiorespiratory variables in anemic preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sasidharan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heimler
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001049:Apnea / Q000209:etiology; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006400:Hematocrit; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012119:Respiration; D016896:Treatment Outcome