[Bloodvolume determination in the newborn using blood of adults as an indicator (author's transl)]

A method allowing the determination of the bloodvolume of newborns by means of transfused blood of adults, is presented. Hb A containing erythrocytes of the adult can be distinguished from mainly Hb F containing erythrocytes of the newborn by means of the Kleihauer staining method. The ratio of the red blood cell volume of the donor to that of the patient is represented by the ratio of Hb A to Hb F containing erythrocytes. Bloodsmears taken before and after transfusion are stained with the "Fetal Hemoglobin Set" (BOERINGER), then photographed and approximately 1000 cells counted on the photo. The bloodvolume is calculated from the dilution of Hb A-containing in Hb F-containing erythrocytes. The reproducibility of the method was tested on 10 newborns, who were transfused twice and whose bloodvolumes were determined four times (two correlating bloodvolumes twice). The error of the method lies between 7.5 and 10% of the total bloodvolume. While an optimal determination of the bloodvolume through the first transfusion is already obtained by counting about 1000 cells, increasing the number of counted cells raises the quality of the bloodvolume determination through further transfusions. The bloodvolumes found are lower than those described in the literature. Its causes are discussed.