Use of erythropoietin and its effects on blood lactate and 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate in premature neonates.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) on oxygen affinity and adequate oxygen delivery to the tissues of stable premature infants. 36 very-low-birth-weight infants were randomly assigned to either receive rHu-EPO (200 units/kg every other day) or not, and both groups were supplemented with iron, folic acid and vitamin E. Arterial blood gases, oxygen saturation, complete blood counts, fetal haemoglobin, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) and blood lactate were analysed weekly, from the 1st week till discharge. Patients in the two groups were comparable. There was a trend in increasing lactate values towards the 4th to 5th weeks of life, which did not reach statistical significance. There was no correlation between lactate values and the studied variables (pH, BE, oxygen saturation). In 35 transfusions, pre- and 24 h post-transfusion blood lactate status was studied. In 23 of them, a decrease in post-transfusion lactate was noticed, whilst an increased post-transfusion level was shown in 10 cases and no change in 2 cases. The mean pre-transfusion lactate value was significantly higher than the post-transfusion one (24.04 +/- 11.9 mg/dl before and 16.27 +/- 8.5 mg/dl after transfusion; p = 0.0025). In both groups there was a steady rise in 2,3-DPG concentration over the period of study, and the 2,3-DPG values at the end of our study were significantly increased in the rHu-EPO group (rHu-EPO 5.98 +/- 0.9, control 4.84 +/- 0.7; p = 0.04). In conclusion, the use of rHu-EPO did not affect blood lactate levels compared to the control group. Regarding oxygen affinity, it seems that rHu-EPO causes a shift of the oxy-haemoglobin dissociation curve to the right. This is a previously unreported effect of rHu-EPO and its clinical use may, thus, confer to preterm babies an added advantage.