The Iron Status of Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Multiple Erythrocyte Transfusions during Hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

PURPOSE

We investigated the iron status of very low birth weight infants receiving multiple erythrocyte transfusions during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

METHODS

We enrolled 46 very low birth weight infants who were admitted to the Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 2012 and December 2013. Serum ferritin was measured on their first day of life and weekly thereafter. We collected individual data of the frequency and volume of erythrocyte transfusion and the amount of iron intake.

RESULTS

A total of 38 (82.6%) of very low birth weight infants received a mean volume of 99.3±93.5 mL of erythrocyte transfusions in NICU. The minimum and maximum serum ferritin levels during hospitalization were 146.2±114.9 ng/mL and 456.7±361.9 ng/mL, respectively. The total volume of erythrocyte transfusion was not correlated to maximum serum ferritin concentrations after controlling for the amount of iron intake (r=0.012, p=0.945). Non-transfused infants took significantly higher iron intake compared to infants receiving ≥100 mL/kg erythrocyte transfusion (p<0.001). Minimum and maximum serum ferritin levels of non-transfused infants were higher than those of infants receiving <100 mL/kg erythrocyte transfusions (p=0.026 and p=0.022, respectively). Infants with morbidity including bronchopulmonary dysplasia or retinopathy of prematurity received a significantly higher volume of erythrocyte transfusions compared to infants without morbidity (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Very low birth weight infants undergoing multiply erythrocyte transfusions had excessive iron stores and non-transfused infants also might had a risk of iron overload during hospitalization in the NICU.

The effects of prophylactic administration of tranexamic acid on the operative time and the amount of blood transfused during open fixation of pelvis and acetabulum fractures

BACKGROUND

Orthopedic surgeons face challenges regarding perioperative bleeding during the operations of pelvic and acetabular fracture cases. Although the recently popular tranexamic acid (TXA) has proven to be a useful tool, this study primarily aimed to conduct a retrospective comparative analysis of the results of the prophylactic administration of tranexamic acid during open fixation of pelvis and acetabulum fractures, especially regarding operative time and the amount of blood transfused; and in addition, share the results related to other findings including the management of the erythrocyte suspension use and overall cost as secondary aims and thus providing a comprehensive point of view.

METHODS

The files of patients with pelvis or acetabulum fractures admitted to the Emergency Clinic of the Adana City Training and Research Hospital between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2023, were analyzed retrospectively. The inclusion criteria were as follows: patients aged 18 years or older who had undergone open reduction for pelvis or acetabulum fractures.

RESULTS

There were 78 files identified for analysis. Among the fractures, 27 were located at the pelvis (34.61%) and 51 at the acetabulum (65.38%). The pelvic fracture cases' age and preoperative hemoglobulin levels were significantly lower (p = 0.019 and p = 0.006, respectively). When all cases were dichotomized into two groups, ones requiring ICU monitoring and the remaining, there were statistically significant differences in terms of the preoperative hemoglobin levels (p = 0.0446), intraoperative bleeding (p = 0.0134), units of erythrocyte suspension used (p = 0.0066), drain output (p = 0.0301), hospitalization duration (p = 0.0008), and the overall cost (p = 0.0002). The comparison regarding TXA use showed that the use of blood products was significantly higher in the pelvic fractures not treated with TXA (6.44 ± 4.42 units, p = 0.0029). The duration of surgery was shorter for pelvic fractures treated with TXA (98.33 ± 21.76 min, p = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

Among the variables, the amount of intraoperative bleeding emerged as the most correlated element, which strongly suggests that in managing open reduction internal fixation surgeries performed for pelvis and acetabulum fractures, intraoperative bleeding should be considered as the crucial factor. Therefore, the administration of TXA, by effectively reducing the amount of intraoperative bleeding, should be considered as an essential tool for orthopedic surgeons.