Neonatal Hyperviscosity: I. Incidence

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Abstract
Capillary hematocrits were performed on 790 infants during the first 4 h after birth. These infants were delivered between Aug. 8-Dec. 7, 1974, at the University of Colorado Medical Center, which is at an altitude of 1061 m above sea level. When the capillary hematocrit was 7% or greater, venous hematocrit and blood viscosity were determined. Capillary hematocrits obtained from warmed heels in the 1st h after birth were spuriously high and not consistently related to venous hematocrit. Venous polycythemia, defined as a hematocrit of 65% or greater, occurred in 4% of the newborn population. Hyperviscosity (> 2 SD above the mean for newborns) occurred in 5% of the newborn infants. At a venous hematocrit of 65% or greater, hyperviscosity was predictable, but some infants with venous hematocrits between 60-64% also had hyperviscosity of the blood. The incidence of polycythemia and hyperviscosity was further related to birth weight and gestational age. The infants who were small for gestational age were at highest risk of polycythemia and hyperviscosity, followed by infants who were large for gestational age. The greatest number of infants with hyperviscosity were term appropriate for gestational age. Preterm infants with gestational ages of less than 34 wk were not affected.

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