EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION IN NEONATAL SEPSIS DOSE NOT REDUCES OVERALL MORTALITY

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of exchange transfusion in severe neonatal sepsis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care unit of teaching hospital. SUBJECTS & METHOD: Retrospective cohort study was carried out from June 2010 to May 2011. Thirty babies who developed severe sepsis )Sclerema) and who underwent double volume exchange transfusion primarily for sepsis, were included in the study and were compared with matched controls who did not receive exchange transfusion. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate in study group was 49% as compared to 62% in the controls. However the difference was not statistically significant. The duration of hospital stay was longer in the study group )45 Vs 29 days) )p<0.001). Exchange transfusion did not make any different to the organism specific mortality. No clinically significant complications were observed with exchange transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Exchange transfusion does not alter the mortality in the babies with severe sepsis.