Recombinant human erythropoietin in preterm infants: evaluation of one year of experience

Recently, recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has been claimed to diminish red Blood cell transfusions in premature infants. After a year of experience, we investigated whether early rhEPO treatment would reduce the need for transfusion. Patients and methods. - Fifty premature infants of gestational age less than or equal to 32 weeks admitted to our NICU in 1997, received rhEPO 750 UI/kg/week from day 3 to 5 for six weeks. They were compared with 50 untreated controls admitted in 1996. Results. - The treatment and control groups did not differ for gestational age, weight at birth, CRIB score, and blood losses. We were not able to detect any difference in the number of transfused infants, and in the number of transfusions per infant until discharge. However, treated infants received significantly fewer transfusions per infant between day 16 and day 45 (0.42 +/- 0.67 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.99). Infants with a birth weight between 1,000-1,250 g received fewer transfusions in the EPO group. Conclusion. - rhEPO treatment can be useful. but in association with other procedures: conservative transfusion criteria, ;minimization of phlebotomy losses and early iron supplementation. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.