Fate of surviving low-birth-weight infants with coagulation deficiencies on the first day of life.

Fifty-two surviving low-birth-weight infants who had low Thrombotest (Owren) results on the first day, together with the same number of matched controls with higher Thrombotest results, were examined for the integrity of their central nervous system. Gross abnormalities were found in 13.5% of the low Thrombotest group compared with 1.9% in the higher group. Minor brain damage syndromes were more common in the low Thrombotest group. The combined brain damage syndromes were 23.1% in the low Thrombotest group compared with 3.8% in the higher group.It is suggested that the causes of the brain damage in the low Thrombotest group are either non-fatal cerebral haemorrhage or intravascular fibrin deposition associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation.