Haematological values in cord blood in relation to fetal hypoxia

Haematological values in cord venous blood were studied in 458 newborn infants born at term. The severity of hypoxia in these babies was determined by measuring the pH in cord venous blood, and in cord arterial blood. Hypoxia was associated with increases in haemoglobin, in the red cell count, in the white cell count and in the haematocrit. Furthermore, the increase in the mean corpuscular volume, and decrease in mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration could have been due to a net influx of less mature red cells into the circulation. It is suggested that fetal erythropoiesis is stimulated by intrapartum hypoxia.