Mean platelet volumes and platelet counts in infants with pulmonary hemorrhage or transient tachypnea of the newborn

Background: To compare mean platelet volume (MPV) values between full-term infants with pulmonary hemorrhage and those with transient tachypnea of the newborn to determine whether MPV is a potential predictive factor for disease. Materials and Methods: The infants were divided into 3 groups and examined: those in whom pulmonary hemorrhage was observed (P group), those with transient tachypnea of the newborn managed by ventilator (T group), and those with transient tachypnea of the newborn not managed by ventilator (t group). Results: MPV values on admission in the 3 groups were high, and there were no significant differences between the P group and T group; however, MPV values in the P group were significantly higher than those in the t group. There was a tendency for the platelet count to increase between admission and 5 days after birth in all groups. Meanwhile, between admission and 5 days after birth, MPV values tended to remain high in the P group, were significantly increased in the T group, and were elevated in the t group. Conclusion: This investigation could not predict whether infants requiring ventilator management would develop pulmonary hemorrhage based solely on the admission MPV value. However, we suggest that if further detailed conditions were added, a potential predictive factor for pulmonary hemorrhage could be found.