The Plateletcrit and Hematocrit Levels in Premature Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage

We investigated the relationship between hematocrit (Hct) and plateletcrit (Pct) values and intraventricular hemorrhage.

This retrospectively analyzed study conducted at the tertiary NICU (Bursa Uludag University Faculty of Medicine) between January 2016 and September 2019. The data of neonates with a gestational age of <32 weeks without and with intraventricular hemorrhage in the first three postnatal days was compared as retrospective.

The data of 200 patients were analyzed, including 48 patients with intraventricular hemorrhage and 152 without intraventricular hemorrhage. In the intraventricular hemorrhage group, the values were found to be significantly lower than in the non-intraventricular hemorrhage group for second-day Hct (42.9 ± 7.6 vs. 47 ± 6.6, respectively, p<0.001) and third day Hct (37.9 ± 8 vs. 43 ± 6.8, respectively, p<0.001). The third-day Pct values were lower in patients with severe intraventricular hemorrhage than in those without intraventricular hemorrhage (0.12 [0.07-0.14] vs. 0.17 [0.12-0.23], respectively, p=0.022). When the Hct and Pct values were evaluated together, it was observed that the second-day Hct×Pct values of those with second day intraventricular hemorrhage as well as the third day Hct×Pct values of those with third day intraventricular hemorrhage were lower than in patients without intraventricular hemorrhage.

It was observed that the Hct×Pct values of the same day were lower in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage on days two and three. It was observed that there may be a relationship between low Pct and the severity of intraventricular hemorrhage. Considering the effect of erythrocyte mass on platelets, it may be more appropriate to evaluate Hct and Pct values together in considering the etiology of intraventricular hemorrhage.