PEDIATRICS Vol. 70 No. 5 November 1982, pp. 829-830
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Improvement of Phagocytosis and Nitroblue Tetrazolium Reduction After Exchange Transfusions in Two Preterm Infants with Severe Septicemia

M. De Curtis 1, G. Vetrano 1, G. Romano 1, F. D'Antonio 1, R. Paludetto 1, and F. Ciccimarra 1

1 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, II Medical School of Naples, Italy

Vain et al1 have recently reported that the use of the exchange transfusion (ET) with fresh blood in addition to antibiotics and other supportive care therapies, had brought about a decreased mortality in a series of ten newborn infants suffering from severe septicemia with sclerema. They ascribe this effect more to the removal of endotoxins and the improvement of perfusion and tissue oxygenation than to the enhancement of an inflammatory response on the basis of two factors. First, although fresh blood transfusions are postulated to increase humoral immunity depending on the opsonic activity of blood from the donors, many patients had failed to show a significant clinical response after receiving large fresh blood transfusions; but after ET with blood from the same donors a clear improvement had been obtained.