The effect of prolonged rupture of membranes on circulating neonatal nucleated red blood cells.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that absolute nucleated red blood cells (ANRBC) counts are higher at birth in infants who were born after prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM, >24 hours).


METHODS
Retrospective study of 31 infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit who were born after PROM, and pair matched for gestational age and Apgar scores with 31 no PROM controls. Venous ANRBC counts were obtained within 1 hour of life.


RESULTS
Groups did not differ in birthweight, gestational age, Apgar scores, and platelets counts. The ANRBC counts and hematocrit were significantly higher in infants who were born after PROM than in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Infants born after PROM have higher ANRBC counts at birth than control infants. We suggest that increased fetal erythropoiesis exists in infants who are delivered after PROM. If correct, our interpretation supports the theory that fetal hypoxia and/or ischemia may result from PROM.
Mandel
Dror
D
Department of Neonatology, Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Oron
Tal
T
Mimouni
Galit Sheffer
GS
Littner
Yoav
Y
Dollberg
Shaul
S
Mimouni
Francis B
FB
D001034:Apgar Score; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D004900:Erythroblasts; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors