Assessment of Umbilical Cord Nucleated Red Blood Cell Count in Discharged and Dead Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Background: Predictive value of the umbilical nucleated red blood cells ( NRBCs) at birth for neonatal outcomes has been assessed. Hence, the present study was conducted to compare NRBC between discharged and dead neonates. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on preterm newborns with a birth weight of < 1,500 g admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, within 2012-2018. The subjects were divided into two groups of discharged and dead. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire containing three sections, namely maternal demographic information, neonatal data, and blood tests (measuring white blood cell [WBC], absolute NRBC, NRBC/100 WBC and blood gas). The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20), using t-test, Chi-square test, receiver operating characteristic curve, and regression models. Results: A total of 205 neonates, including 136 discharged neonates (66.03%) and 69 dead neonates (33.7%), were examined in the present study. The results demonstrated a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the first minute Apgar score (P=0.023), fifth minute Apgar score (P=0.010), gestational age (P=0.000), birth weight (P=0.000), WBC (P=0.020), absolute NRBC (P=0.004), NRBC percentage (P=0.001), duration of mechanical ventilation (P=0.029), duration of oxygen therapy (P=0.012).Moreover, mechanical ventilation (P=0.036), type of oxygen therapy (P=0.000), NRBC percentage (P=0.001), and absolute NRBC count (P=0.001) showed a statistically significant relationship with neonatal survival rate. Conclusion: As the findings indicated, mechanical ventilation, type of oxygen therapy, absolute NRBC count, and NRBC percentage can be used as markers for predicting neonatal mortality rate.