Coagulation parameters and Apgar score are associated with severity in preterm infants.

Abstract

Coagulation parameters are used to diagnose hematological diseases. The correlation between the coagulation parameters and Apgar score at 5 min is yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed at describing the neonatal coagulation parameters in preterm infants with a low Apgar score at 5 min. In this case-control study, 32 serious preterm infants were compared with 20 preterm infants, according to the Apgar score at 5 min. The prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fbg), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), calculated international normalized ratio (INR), D-dimer (D2), fructose diphosphate sodium (FDP), and procalcitonin (PCT) values were recorded. The linear correlation between coagulation parameters and Apgar score at 5 min was analyzed by linear regression. The two groups were compared using GraphPad Prism 8 (LaJolla, CA, USA). In the study, the mean coagulation parameters were significantly higher in the serious preterm infants with low the Apgar score at 5 min compared to the preterm infants with normal Agar scores at 5 min (p<0.05). The correlation between coagulation parameters and Apgar score at 5 min was recorded (PT: R=0.3984; APTT: R=0.3165; INR: R=0.4139). The coagulation parameters were significantly higher in serious preterm infants with a low Apgar score at 5 min. Also, the coagulation parameters and Apgar score at 5 min are associated with severity in preterm infants.