Treatment with erythropoietin in neonatology

The article presents the basics and con-trol of erythropoiesis in the fetus and the newborn, the development of anaemia of prematurity and its treatment, with an em-phasis on the use of human recombinant erythropoietin. The Intensive Care Unit of the Paediatric Clinic Maribor began treat-ing anaemia of prematurity with eryth-ropoietin in 2000. After introducing the treatment, the clinic found that the num-ber of blood product transfusions and the needed blood volume decreased. In addi-tion to erythropoietin, this was the result of stricter criteria for applying transfusion of concentrated erythrocytes.

preterm infant, anaemia of pre-maturity, erythropoietin, transfusion

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