Objective: 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.
Patients and methods: 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).
Results: 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).
Conclusions: 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.