[Effect of red blood cell transfusion on the oxygenation of mesenteric tissue in premature infants].

To investigate the effect of red blood cell transfusion on the oxygenation of mesenteric tissue in premature infants. In this prospective cohort study, preterm infants with gestational age <37 weeks who were treated with red blood cell transfusions were enrolled from June 2017 to March 2018 in Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University. The infants were categorized into feeding intolerance group and feeding tolerance group according to the feeding intolerance standard. Near-infrared spectroscopy was applied to continuously monitor intestinal oxygen saturation from 2 h before red blood cell transfusion to 48 h after red blood cell transfusion. Intergroup differences of basic conditions were analyzed with test, Mann-Whitney test and χ(2) test. Mixed linear model was used to compare intragroup and intergroup differences in intestinal oxygen saturation over time. A total of 73 cases with gestational age <37 weeks were enrolled, of whom 41 were males and 32 were females, with mean gestational age of (30±4)weeks and mean birth weight of (1 543±688)g; there were 33 cases in feeding intolerance group and 42 cases in feeding tolerance group. The average intestinal oxygen saturations at 2 h before blood transfusion, during blood transfusion, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after transfusion were 0.50±0.07, 0.52±0.07, 0.52±0.08, 0.51±0.08, 0.51±0.07, 0.51±0.08, and 0.51±0.07 respectively in feeding intolerance group and were 0.51±0.04, 0.55±0.04, 0.57±0.05, 0.57±0.04, 0.56±0.04, 0.56±0.04, and 0.56±0.05 respectively in feeding tolerance group. Compared with 2 h before transfusion, intestinal oxygen saturation were increased during transfusion in both group (feeding intolerance group 4.992, 0.000; feeding tolerance group 9.615, 0.000), however this effect lasted until 48 h after transfusion in feeding tolerance group (=5.519, 12.409, 10.033, 9.133, 7.983, all 0.000). Additionally, the increasement of intestinal oxygen saturation over time were lower in feeding intolerance group(8.876, 0.000). Besides, the level of intestinal oxygen saturation was positively correlated with postmenstrual age (PMA)(4.863, 0.031). In infants with PMA<30 weeks, particularly in feeding intolerance group, the level of intestinal oxygen saturation significantly decreased at 2 h after transfusion (23.063, 0.002). Feeding status and PMA may play a role in development of transfusion-associated necrotizing enterocolitis. Red blood cell transfusion may increase the risk for mesenteric ischemia and is more likely to cause necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants with PMA <30 weeks as well as feeding intolerance. Children's Hospital of Fudan University, NCT02544100.