Failure of autoregulation and intraventricular haemorrhage in preterm infants.

Changes in mean arterial blood-pressure produced in five sick newborn infants by transfusion or exchange of blood products were accompanied by striking increases in cerebral blood-flow. These increases imply a failure of autoregulation. Four of the infants had a fatal intraventricular haemorrhage within 12 h of the observed change in flow. This suggests that the increase in flow precipitated the haemorrhage.