[Polycythemia in the newborn infant (author's transl)]

Respiratory distress syndrome and cyanonis in newborns (first neonatal week) may be caused by polycythemia. During 14 months twentyone newborns with symptoms of cardiorespiratory or neurological distress caused by polycythemia on the neonatological division of our hospital were observed. The values of hemoglobin ranged between 22.7 and 28.6 g% (mean 25.65 g%), the values of hematocrit ranged between 72 and 90% (mean 81%). The central venous hematocrit measured on 14 patients ranged between 65 and 77% (mean 71%). On 20 newborns isovolemic haemodilution by 5% plasma was performed. The volume of exchange was calculated according to the formula: Sign and symptoms seemed to improve rapidly following treatment, clinically reflecting the fall in hemoglobin and hematocrit.