1 The Perinatal Research Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama 35233
Elevated erythropoietin levels,1-3 high hematocrits,4-6 and increased RBC volumes4,6,7 and counts5 have been reported in infants with intra-uterine growth retardation (IGR). These findings, compatible with prolonged in utero hypoxia, have led us to examine reticulocyte counts in these infants.
Materials and Methods
Heparinized blood samples were studied from a total of 145 neonates. Eighty-two of these samples were obtained from the umbilical vein at time of delivery. The remaining 63 were obtained within 24 hours of birth from capillary or venous blood, 37 of these within 12 hours, and 55 within 18 hours of birth.