short-term complications associated with exchange transfusion in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia

Background and objective: neonatal jaundice is a common condition among neonates in the first few days of life and is a leading cause of admission among neonates. the aim of this study was to investigate the most common risk factors associated with severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (nnh) and short-term complications of the exchange transfusion (et).methods: in this retrospective study, the medical records of newborns <28 days with severe hyperbilirubinemia who underwent et during 2015-2018 were analyzed. medical records and files were searched using the keyword “exchange transfusion”. the clinical and demographic characteristics of the study population as well as the short-term complications of et were descriptively analyzed.findings: totally, 74 newborns with the mean age of 5.6±3.4 days were included in the current study. the baseline mean peak total serum bilirubin (tsb) was 25.8±5.7 mg/dl. in neonates, the abo incompatibility was the most frequent cause of severe hyperbilirubinemia requiring et (54.1%), followed by sepsis (39.2%). moreover, 57.7% of neonates developed complications secondary to et. the most common complication was hyperglycemia (71.6%), followed by thrombocytopenia (48.6%).conclusion: hemolysis and sepsis are common causes of nnh; therefore, the extensive screening and identification of the at-risk population can help decrease the incidence of severe nnh. frequent monitoring of blood sugar and screening of thrombocytopenia before and after et procedures are necessary to reduce adverse events.