The differences between the neonate and adult blood clot structures suggest the standard of care for the postoperative bleeding may increase the risk of thrombosis in newborns, according to a new study published in Anesthesiology.
For the study, researchers examined samples of neonate fibrinogen and adult fibrinogen and compared their clot-forming processes. Researchers also combined the samples and examined the blood clot structures produced by the neonate-adult-fused blood.
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The study results found neonate fibrinogen formed more fragile clots that dissolved quicker than the adult samples. Researchers also found that the mixed samples formed weaker clots.
In a News Medical article, Nina Guzzetta, MD, corresponding author on the study, associate professor of anesthesiology at Emory University School of Medicine and a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said, "This suggests that using adult fibrinogen in neonatal patients may pose an increased risk of embolism or other adverse thrombotic events."
The findings suggest that alternative treatment strategies should be developed to reduce the morbidity of blood product transfusion in neonates.
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