Comparison Of Treatment Strategies For Anaemia Of Prematurity In Extremely Low Birthweight Infants Between 1997 And 2011

Anaemia of prematurity (AOP) is a common sequela of preterm birth.1 It remains largely unknown how individual neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) manage AOP and whether treatment strategies have changed over time. We present the results of a standardised multicentre survey to assess the alterations in the treatment of AOP in NICUs caring for extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants comparing Germany in 1997 (n=125 NICUs) to German-speaking countries in 2011 (n=129): Germany (n=110), Austria (n=10) and Switzerland (n=9).2 Preparation strategies for red blood cells (RBCs), transfusion volume, and rate and protocols for erythropoietin administration were analysed. High response rates (63.6%, 1997; 66.2%, 2011) make our results representative for German-speaking countries: Treatment strategies for AOP …