Erythroblastosis in birth asphyxia.

The pH and erythroblast count in umbilical venous blood were measured in 27 term neonates with normal birth weights. In seven cases, infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit because of birth asphyxia, and the findings in these cases were compared to the values of the 20 non-asphyxiated neonates that were delivered either vaginally (n = 10) or by elective Cesarean section (n = 10). The umbilical venous blood pH in the asphyxiated group was significantly lower than that in the control group of infants that were delivered by Cesarean section, but not significantly different from the controls that were delivered vaginally. In contrast, the erythroblast count in the asphyxiated group was significantly higher than that in the controls, irrespective of the mode of delivery. These findings suggest that cord blood erythroblast count at delivery may provide a better measure of fetal tissue hypoxia than umbilical venous pH. Copyright 1992 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology