Neurocognitive profiles of preterm infants randomly assigned to lower or higher hematocrit thresholds for transfusion

作者：McCoy Thomasin E^*; Conrad Amy L; Richman Lynn C; Lindgren Scott D; Nopoulos Peg C; Bell Edward F

来源：Child Neuropsychology, 2011, 17(4): 347-367.

DOI：10.1080/09297049.2010.544647

• Preterm
• Neuropsychology
• Red blood cell transfusion
• Hematocrit
• Longitudinal

Objective: Preterm infants are frequently transfused with red blood cells based on standardized guidelines or clinical concerns that anemia taxes infants' physiological compensatory mechanisms and thereby threatens their health and well-being. The impact of various transfusion guidelines on long-term neurocognitive outcome is not known. The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term neurocognitive outcome on children born prematurely and treated at birth with different transfusion guidelines.
Methods: Neurocognitive outcomes were examined at school age for 56 preterm infants randomly assigned to a liberal (n=33) or restrictive (n=23) transfusion strategy. Tests of intelligence, achievement, language, visual-spatial/motor, and memory skills were administered. Between-group differences were assessed.
Results: Those in the liberal transfusion group performed more poorly than those in the restrictive group on measures of associative verbal fluency, visual memory, and reading.
Conclusions: Findings highlight possible long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of maintaining higher hematocrit levels.

• 出版日期2011