Indications and patterns of blood transfusion in neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in North West Nigeria

Background: Neonates requiring intensive care are among the most frequently transfused group of patients. Indications for blood transfusion in neonates could be physiological or pathological. However, despite frequent blood transfusions in neonates in Zaria, there is a paucity of studies on its indications and patterns among neonates in our setting. Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the indications and patterns of blood transfusions among neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on neonates in the NICU of ABUTH, Zaria. A pro forma was used to collect information from the mothers and neonates' case notes. Charts and table were used to show frequencies and proportions on the indications and types of blood transfusion given. Results: A total number of 172 neonates were admitted during the study period among whom 60 had blood transfusion. The median age (interquartile range) of the neonates was 2.5 (27) days, and the mean (± standard deviation) birth weight and hematocrit of the neonates were 2432.5 ± 722.9 g and 37.19 ± 8.76%, respectively, with 32 (53.3%) being males. Neonatal anemia (30, 50%), neonatal jaundice (25, 41.7%), neonatal sepsis (3, 5%), and preparation for surgery (2, 3.3%) were the indications for blood transfusion. Thirty-nine (65.0%) and 21 (35.0%) of the neonates had top-up and exchange blood transfusion, respectively. Conclusions: Neonatal anemia and jaundice were the major indications for blood transfusion while simple top-up was the main type of blood transfusions among the neonates in this study.