It is generally assumed that the reticulocyte count is a predictor of trends in hemoglobin, and thus an indicator of the need for blood transfusion, in infants with the anemia of prematurity.

We tested this assumption by examining data from premature infants enroled in a randomized controlled trial of recombinant human erythropoietin(r-HuEPO). Fifty-five infants less than 1250 g birth weight and at high risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and multiple red cell transfusions were randomized to either r-HuEPO (200 U/kg body weight 3 times per week for 6 weeks) or control groups (Ped Res 37:279A;1995). Data was obtained weekly during study weeks 1 to 9 (post-natal age 3 to 11 weeks). Regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the absolute reticulocyte count and the change in hemoglobin occurring during the succeeding week. Data from weeks during which an infant received a transfusion were excluded.

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