Abstract
In the past 15 years, multiple clinical studies have identified a temporal association between red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). With some variability, most of these studies indicate that up to one-third of all cases of NEC involving very low-birth weight infants may occur within 24–48 h after receiving a RBC transfusion. There is also evidence that the risk of such transfusion-associated NEC may be higher in infants transfused with the greatest severity of anemia. In this article, we summarize the clinical evidence pertaining to these issues; specifically, the contribution of RBC transfusions, and the contribution of severity of underlying anemia, to the pathogenesis of a type of NEC potentially termed, “transfusion/anemia-associated NEC.”
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 47-51 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Seminars in pediatric surgery |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2018 |
Keywords
- Anemia
- Intestinal injury
- NEC
- RBC
- Transfusion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Surgery