title: Evaluation and treatment of severe and prolonged thrombocytopenia in neonates.
abstract: Thrombocytopenia is one of the most common hematologic problems in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Despite its prevalence,several basic pathophysiologic questions remain unanswered. For instance, there is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for treatment,and the kinetic mechanisms (decreased platelet production,increased platelet consumption, or sequestration) responsible for most varieties of neonatal thrombocytopenia are not well defined.Moreover, a clear correlation between degree of thrombocytopenia and the resulting bleeding risk has not been demonstrated, and no transfusion-trigger studies have been conducted in neonates. As a consequence of these deficiencies in knowledge, there is great variability in platelet transfusion practices among NICUs. This article presents an overview of the evaluation of a neonate with severe thrombocytopenia and a review of current and projected therapeutic options.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Solamc@peds.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Martha C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sola
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017370:Interleukin-11 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010808:Physical Examination; D017713:Platelet Transfusion; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D034061:Thrombopoiesis; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D017370:Interleukin-11; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013926:Thrombopoietin