Red Blood Cells From Umbilical Cord for Transfusion of Preterm Infants

NCT ID: NCT05612919

Last Updated: 2026-01-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

41 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-09-13

Study Completion Date

2025-07-12

Brief Summary

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This study has been designed to demonstrate that red blood cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB-RBC) is a safe and available product for extremely preterm infants (EPI) transfusion and that transfusion of UCB-RBC is non-less effective than RBC from adult donor for the treatment of anemia of prematurity in this group of patients.

Detailed Description

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Prematurity is an important maternal and child health problem due to its incidence and associated complications. Anaemia is a frequent problem in extremely preterm infants (EPI) whose treatment often requires red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. This product is currently obtained from adult blood (AB) donor. The incidence of some prematurity complications have been demonstrated to increase with AB-RBC tranfusions mainly because of the higher oxygen tissue release, such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In addition, AB-RBC could contain small amounts of heavy metals that could be toxic for EPI.

RBC from umbilical cord blood (UCB-RBC) might be a better alternative as it does not change the hemoglobin profile and consequently might decrease the oxygen toxicity.

Several studies have evaluated the safety of UCB-RBC transfusions in preterm infants without finding a higher risk of complications compared with AB-RBC transfusions.

A pilot study has been designed to evaluate the safety of UCB-RBC for transfusion in EPI and to determine the feasibility and efficacy of UCB-RBC for transfusion in this group of patients.

Conditions

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Infant, Extremely Premature Erythrocyte Transfusion Umbilical Cord Issue

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

This is a pilot, open, non-randomized, single-center clinical study, whose main objective is to evaluate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of red blood cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB-RBC) transfusion in extremely preterm infants (EPI).

When infants fit criteria for red blood cells transfusion the blood bank of reference will be contacted and availability of compatible UCB-RBC bags within those 6 hours will be checked. When it is possible (available compatible UCB-RBC bag within 6 hours), UCB-RBC will be transfused, otherwise patient will receive RBC from adult donor. Patients who initially received RBC from adult donor will remain in this group if repeated transfusions are needed. In patients who initially received UCB-RBC transfusion, availability of compatible UCB-RBC bags will have to be reviewed again. Only when it is not possible to transfuse UCB-RBC at this repeated occasion, the patient will receive RBC from adult blood donor.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Patients exclusively transfused with UCB-RBC

Interventional group infants arm will receive UCB-RBC bag when RBC transfusion is indicated as per standard practice, and when UCB-RBC is available within the first 6 hours of the request.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Red blood cell from umbilical cord blood

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients will receive a volume of 15-20 ml/kg of red blood cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB-RBC). The transfusion will be prescribed and administered with all the routine safety measures carried out by the nurses to ensure compatibility between the administered RBC and the patient. The UCB-RBC bags will contain a minimum volume of 20 mL of RBC, with a haematocrit of about 60% and an acceptable residual leucocyte content of \<106/mm3.

Product validation is currently under development.

Patients exclusively transfused with AB-RBC

Standard treatment group infants arm will receive AB-RBC when RBC transfusion is indicated as per standard practice, and compatible UCB-RBC bag is not available.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Red blood cell from adult donor

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients will receive a volume of 15-20 ml/kg of red blood cell from adult donor according to standard guidelines.

The transfusion will be prescribed and administered with all the routine safety measures carried out by the nurses to ensure compatibility between the administered RBC and the patient.

Blood samples are irradiated according to standard practise.

Non transfused patients

Patients with no indications for RBC transfusion. Their clinical management will be the usual in our neonatal unit.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Red blood cell from umbilical cord blood

Patients will receive a volume of 15-20 ml/kg of red blood cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB-RBC). The transfusion will be prescribed and administered with all the routine safety measures carried out by the nurses to ensure compatibility between the administered RBC and the patient. The UCB-RBC bags will contain a minimum volume of 20 mL of RBC, with a haematocrit of about 60% and an acceptable residual leucocyte content of \<106/mm3.

Product validation is currently under development.

Intervention Type OTHER

Red blood cell from adult donor

Patients will receive a volume of 15-20 ml/kg of red blood cell from adult donor according to standard guidelines.

The transfusion will be prescribed and administered with all the routine safety measures carried out by the nurses to ensure compatibility between the administered RBC and the patient.

Blood samples are irradiated according to standard practise.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Signed informed consent from parents or legal guardians
* Preterm infants born earlier than 28 weeks of gestational age.
* Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit of the participating hospital (Hospital Clínic of Barcelona)

Exclusion Criteria

* Previous transfusion
* Isoimmunization
* Hydrops fetalis
* Major congenital malformations
* Congenital infections
* Hemoglobinopathies
* Extreme urgency of blood availability (hypovolemic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy...)
* Be part of another clinical trial that may interfere with the results
Maximum Eligible Age

12 Weeks

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Banc de Sang i Teixits

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Miguel María Alsina Casanova, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

Locations

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Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Site Status

Countries

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Spain

References

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Widness JA. Pathophysiology of Anemia During the Neonatal Period, Including Anemia of Prematurity. Neoreviews. 2008 Nov 1;9(11):e520. doi: 10.1542/neo.9-11-e520.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20463861 (View on PubMed)

Jiramongkolchai K, Repka MX, Tian J, Aucott SW, Shepard J, Collins M, Kraus C, Clemens J, Feller M, Burd I, Roizenblatt M, Goldberg MF, Arevalo JF, Gehlbach P, Handa JT. Lower foetal haemoglobin levels at 31- and 34-weeks post menstrual age is associated with the development of retinopathy of prematurity : PacIFiHER Report No. 1 PacIFiHER Study Group (Preterm Infants and Fetal Haemoglobin in ROP). Eye (Lond). 2021 Feb;35(2):659-664. doi: 10.1038/s41433-020-0938-5. Epub 2020 May 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32409707 (View on PubMed)

Hellstrom W, Martinsson T, Hellstrom A, Morsing E, Ley D. Fetal haemoglobin and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in neonates: an observational study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2021 Jan;106(1):88-92. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319181. Epub 2020 Aug 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32847833 (View on PubMed)

Teofili L, Papacci P, Orlando N, Bianchi M, Molisso A, Purcaro V, Valentini CG, Giannantonio C, Serrao F, Chiusolo P, Nicolotti N, Pellegrino C, Carducci B, Vento G, De Stefano V. Allogeneic cord blood transfusions prevent fetal haemoglobin depletion in preterm neonates. Results of the CB-TrIP study. Br J Haematol. 2020 Oct;191(2):263-268. doi: 10.1111/bjh.16851. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32510635 (View on PubMed)

Mohamed A, Shah PS. Transfusion associated necrotizing enterocolitis: a meta-analysis of observational data. Pediatrics. 2012 Mar;129(3):529-40. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2872. Epub 2012 Feb 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22351894 (View on PubMed)

Bianchi M, Giannantonio C, Spartano S, Fioretti M, Landini A, Molisso A, Tesfagabir GM, Tornesello A, Barbagallo O, Valentini CG, Vento G, Zini G, Romagnoli C, Papacci P, Teofili L. Allogeneic umbilical cord blood red cell concentrates: an innovative blood product for transfusion therapy of preterm infants. Neonatology. 2015;107(2):81-6. doi: 10.1159/000368296. Epub 2014 Nov 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25401961 (View on PubMed)

Gonzalez EG, Casanova MA, Samarkanova D, Aldecoa-Bilbao V, Teresa-Palacio M, Busquets EF, Figueras-Aloy J, Salvia-Roiges M, Querol S. Feasibility of umbilical cord blood as a source of red blood cell transfusion in preterm infants. Blood Transfus. 2021 Nov;19(6):510-517. doi: 10.2450/2020.0169-20. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33370228 (View on PubMed)

Bianchi M, Orlando N, Barbagallo O, Sparnacci S, Valentini CG, Carducci B, Teofili L. Allogeneic cord blood red blood cells: assessing cord blood unit fractionation and validation. Blood Transfus. 2021 Sep;19(5):435-444. doi: 10.2450/2020.0138-20. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33196415 (View on PubMed)

Kotowski M, Litwinska Z, Klos P, Pius-Sadowska E, Zagrodnik-Ulan E, Ustianowski P, Rudnicki J, Machalinski B. Autologous cord blood transfusion in preterm infants - could its humoral effect be the kez to control prematurity-related complications? A preliminary study. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2017 Dec;68(6):921-927.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29550804 (View on PubMed)

Strauss RG, Widness JA. Is there a role for autologous/placental red blood cell transfusions in the anemia of prematurity? Transfus Med Rev. 2010 Apr;24(2):125-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tmrv.2009.11.003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20303035 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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BST-TSCU-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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