ACID-BASE HOMEOSTASIS DURING EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION OF NEWBORN INFANTS WITH PRESERVED BLOOD

Abstract

Preserved donor blood is usually unphysiologic and would be incompatible with life if it were to represent the total state of chemical equilibrium of the body. This study indicates the rapid metabolic adjustment made by a newborn infant when receiving an exchange transfusion. Data obtained on 19 donor "bloods" indicated donor blood to have usually a blood pH below 7.00, low plasma CO2 and chloride content, and higher than normal plasma total base and "R" fractions. Data obtained from 4 infants before and after exchange transfusion reveal that these infants adjust readily so that at completion of the transfusion a normal blood "acidbase balance" picture is found. Mechanisms by which this may be accomplished through metabolism of sodium citrate, citric acid, and lactic acid, are discussed.