PR - Haemoglobin at birth and longterm outcome
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The relationship between birth haemoglobin levels and longterm neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants
IRAS ID
142822
Contact name
Narendra Aladangady
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
HOMERTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
Research summary
The rising incidence of preterm and very small infants means that an increasing number of these infants are being
admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Short and long term outcomes of a preterm infant are influenced by
the gestational age, birth weight, and condition of the infant at birth and the first few hours of life. Haemoglobin (Hb) at
birth could be influenced by several factors including the timing of cord clamping after delivery and the position of the
baby during cord clamping. It has been shown that the haemoglobin levels can rise by 3g/dl if there is delayed cord
clamping. Several studies have demonstrated that the mean haemoglobin at birth is significantly higher following
delayed cord clamping compared to early cord clamping. Currently, there is no evidence regarding relationship
between Hb level at birth and longterm outcome of preterm infants irrespective of the mode of delivery and time of
umbilical cord clamping. We hypothesise that Hb level at birth do not influence the longterm outcome of preterm
infants. The objective of our study is to evaluate the relationship between Hb level at birth and longterm term outcome
at 18 months of age for preterm infants born at =32 weeks of gestation. All inborn preterm infants from 23 to 32 weeks
of gestational age admitted to the neonatal unit of Homerton University Hospital between January 2006 and December
2011 will be studied. Longterm outcome will be based on neurodevelopmental assessment, performed at 18 months
of age. This information will be collected from case notes and prospectively entered electronic clinical databases;
Standardised Electronic Neonatal Database (SEND), Electronic Patient Record (EPR), Pathology (WinPath) and Blood
Bank Electronic Database.REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
14/SS/0087
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion