Packed red blood cell transfusion (PRBC) attenuates intestinal blood flow responses to feedings in pre-term neonates with normalization at 24 hours.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion affects post-prandial superior mesenteric artery blood flow velocities (SMA BFVs) in very-low birth weight (VLBW) neonates and if so, at what time point after transfusion restoration of previous SMA BFV patterns occurs.

DESIGN/METHODS: VLBW pre-term neonates, older than 14 days and tolerating bolus enteral feedings administered every 3 h were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Pulsed Doppler ultrasound was used to measure pre- and post-prandial (at 45 min) time-averaged mean, peak and end diastolic velocities (TAMV, PSV, EDV) immediately before and after 15 ml/kg of PRBC transfusion was given over 3 h; patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) status was also evaluated. Subsequent pre- and post-prandial SMA BFVs were recorded 24 and 48 h after the transfusion.

RESULTS: Pre- and post-prandial measurements were obtained for 21 out of 25 enrolled infants. Post-prandial SMA BFVs were attenuated during the feedings immediately after transfusion; at 24 and 48 h after transfusion, changes in post-prandial SMA BFVs were similar to those measured prior to transfusion; the presence of the PDA did not affect results.

CONCLUSIONS: PRBC transfusion blunted SMA BFV responses to feedings immediately after the transfusion with normalization observed 24 h post-transfusion.