title: [Red blood cell transfusions in very low birth weight newborns].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been reported that 80% of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) are receiving packed red blood cell transfusions (PRBCtr), and in 90% of cases, the indication is the replacement of the blood collected. The existence of guidelines for transfusion practices has had a great impact on the decline in the number of transfusions. The aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of VLBW infants who are packed red blood cell transfusion receptors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which included the medical records of all VLBW newborns older than 72 hours, released from the Neonatology department of the Hospital Valdivia Base, between 2005 and 2006. Birth weight, gestational age, pulmonary surfactant, hyaline membrane, mechanical ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis and packed red blood cell transfusions were evaluated. Guidelines for packed red cell transfusions were used at the Hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  93 newborns were evaluated and 62 of them were transfused (66.7%); they received 2.1 ± 0.9 PRBC transfusion and the exposure to different donors was 2.1 ± 0.9. The VLBW infants susceptible to be PRBCtr receptor were those younger than 30 weeks' gestational age, weighing less than 1,250 g and with respiratory failure, mechanical ventilation and sepsis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed percentages of transfused infants with very low birth weight, median PRBCtr and exposure to different donors can be attributed to the existence of guidelines for neonatal transfusion practices and a team of highly experienced neonatologists.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Folatre B
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuschel B
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marín H
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic