title: Chronic anemia in pregnant ewes: maternal and fetal effects.
abstract: To examine maternal and fetal responses to a sustained reduction in maternal hematocrit during days 110-138 of ovine gestation, 22 ewes and their singleton fetuses were instrumented. By repetitive exchange transfusions, the hematocrit in 12 ewes was decreased from 28.1 +/- 0.8 (baseline, day 110) to 14.0 +/- 0.7% (day 117) and maintained at that level. Anemic ewes demonstrated a transient increase in heart rate from 99 +/- 4 to 116 +/- 4 beats/min and a sustained increase in cardiac output from 117 +/- 8 to 153 +/- 11 ml.min-1.kg-1 compared with control animals. Uterine blood flow steadily increased in control animals from 868 +/- 100 (day 110) to 1,410 +/- 177 ml/min (day 138) but failed to increase in the anemic ewes. Uterine oxygen delivery fell from 83 +/- 10 to 39 +/- 4 ml/min with production of anemia and remained low in the anemic ewes. Arterial PO2 and oxygen content in the fetuses of anemic ewes fell transiently below control values (19.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 23.4 +/- 1.0 mmHg and 5.3 +/- 0.3 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.4 ml/dl, respectively) but did not persist. Fetal weights at 138 days gestation were lower in the anemic group (2,596 +/- 329 vs. 4,313 +/- 132 g). We conclude that chronic maternal anemia results in a decreased uterine blood flow as well as decreased uterine oxygen delivery. The fetus responds with decreased growth but does not develop sustained hypoxia or acidosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio 45267.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mostello
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chalk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002302:Cardiac Output; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006339:Heart Rate; D006400:Hematocrit; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012756:Sheep; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply*; D014655:Vascular Resistance
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen