Trends in reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent values in critically ill neonates, stratified by gestational age

Objectivethe reticulocyte index reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (ret-he) was evaluated as a marker of iron status.study designthis is a retrospective cohort study of all infants admitted to the university of washington neonatal intensive care unit, who received ret-he measurements as part of routine care within the first 120 days of life.resulta total of 730 ret-he measurements from 249 infants were analyzed (median gestational age at birth 32.1 weeks; 49 infants <28 weeks and 200 ≥28 weeks). initial ret-he measurements were lower in infants <28 weeks (28.24 vs. 33.34 pg). ret-he values initially decreased, then slowly increased. infants received an average of 3.9, 6.5, and 8.2 mg/kg/day of enteral iron sulfate at 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively.conclusionret-he values showed a slow uptrend with enteral iron supplementation following an initial decrease, suggesting that neonates are able to improve their iron sufficiency status with supplementation.