Hemodynamics of Different Volume of Red Blood Cell Transfusion in Preterm Infant.

BACKGROUND Although many controversies exist regarding the risk of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, half of preterm infants born at 2 weeks at the time of enrollment were randomly allocated to either a standard volume (15 mL/kg) or a large volume (20 mL/kg) group. Significant reductions in cardiac output and transient increases in plasma BNP levels were found after RBC transfusion in both the standard and large volume (20 mL/kg) groups. However, these changes were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Large volume transfusions could be tolerable in stable preterm infants with anemia.