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Nucleated Red Blood Cells As A Biomarker For Mortality In Neonates Following Cardiac Surgery, Kurt D. Piggott, Syeda Maqsood, Cynthia L. Warner, Timothy Pettitt, Shengping Yang, Jason Turner, Amira Soliman, Casey Norlin, Latasha Lewis, Ajay Bhatia

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) are immature red cells that under normal conditions are not present in the peripheral circulation. Several studies have suggested an association between elevated NRBC and poor outcome in critically ill adults and neonates. We sought to determine if elevations in NRBC value following cardiac surgery and following clinical events during the hospital stay can be used as a biomarker to monitor for mortality risk in neonates post-cardiac surgery. Materials and methods: We constructed a retrospective study of 264 neonates who underwent cardiac surgery at Children's Hospital, New Orleans between 2011 and 2020. Variables included …