title: Blood loss and short-term outcome of infants undergoing brain tumour removal.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate perioperative management, early outcomes and hemocoagulative disorders in infants up to 1 year old, undergoing neurosurgery for brain tumors removal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data regarding all infants aged <1 year admitted to PICU from 1994 to 2004, following intracranial mass removal.
  
  
  METHODS
  none.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Hospital PICU in a tertiary neurosurgical referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  All eligible infants were enrolled in the study. Population was constituted by 43 infants and subdivided in two groups, according to their intra-operative blood loss. Babies having blood loss exceeding the preoperative estimated volemia were classified in group A; the remaining babies were included in group B.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraoperative transfusions, PICU length of stay, need for post-operative mechanical ventilation and cardiovascular support were all significantly higher in group A than in group B. No early postoperative mortality occurred. ROC analysis and multiple logistic regression showed the age as the only variable independently associated with blood loss exceeding preoperative volemia (cut-off 60.3 days; OR = 0.11, CI 0.02-0.55, sensitivity 82.4%; specificity 67%). Postoperatively, platelet count, prothrombin activity and fibrinogen resulted significantly depressed in group A, representing a dilutional coagulopathy. A marked dispersion of aPTT values was recorded in group B, where most infants exhibit aPTT shortening, suggesting a hypercoagulability status. Three episodes of clinical disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) were registered in group B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We illustrated the relationships between intraoperative blood loss, transfusions and haemostatic impairment in babies following brain tumor removal. Youngest infants had the higher risk to experience hemocoagulative disorders. These infants showed significantly higher impact on the global PICU burden of care, as represented by the need of mechanical ventilation, cardiovascular support and PICU length of stay.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Catholic University "A. Gemelli" Hospital, L.go Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. marco_piastra@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piastra
authors.forename: Concezio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Rocco
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caresta
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zorzi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caldarelli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pietrini
mesh_terms: D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time / Q000379:methods; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome