This study presents observations on the hematologic changes which occurred during the convalescence of 20 infants with erythroblastosis fetalis.Many unnecessary blood transfusions may be avoided during the convalescent, anemic period in erythroblastosis fetalis by utilizing the finding that concomitant with the rapid growth of the infant total body hemoglobin starts to rise while peripheral blood hemoglobin concentration is still falling or has reached a plateau.No characteristic pattern of erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow was found. The delay in the appearance of reticulocytosis and in the return of the Rh test to positive is evidence that there is an initial aregenerative period in erythropoiesis during early convalesecnce from erythroblastosis fetalis.
展开▼