Lactic Acid As A Predictor For Erythrocyte Transfusion In Preterm Infants With Anemia Of Prematurity:

Samir Abd El-baky Badawy

With few exceptions, premature infants will experience a decline in hemoglobin in the first 3 months of life. This condition termed ”anemia of prematarity”. Infants with hematocrite values less than 0.30 ave clinical symptoms such as tachycardia, tachycardia, poor weight gain, or recurrent episodes of apnea and bradycardia.In the absence of reliable measures of clinically significant anemia, the decision to adminster ablood transfusion is largely empiric, and some transfusions may be unnecessary. Significant anemia results in reduced oxygen supply to tissue and thus may lead to increased anaerobic metabolism wit increased production of lactic acid. Several studies have demonstrated increased blood locate levels in preterm infants with anemia of prematurity and its decline after erythrocyte transfunsion.Our study aimed at detection of the realiiability of lactic acid as indicator for erythrocyte transfusion in preterm infants with anemia of prematurity.