Aussie research a game-changer for babies

AUSTRALIAN researchers have found a potential predictor of brain bleeds in newborns, paving the way for earlier intervention.

Brain bleeds can lead to stroke and neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy.

Scientists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute investigated the link between brain bleeds and low platelet levels – a condition called thrombocytopenia.

Severe thrombocytopenia affects 30 per cent of babies in neonatal intensive care units, and 70 per cent of infants born at low birth weights.

New analysis of researchers’ preclinical models in mice fetuses and newborns found that brain bleeds were certain if platelet levels dropped below 10 per cent.

Published in Blood, the analysis also found a moderate platelet level (10-40 per cent) could trigger a brain bleed, but over 40 per cent posed no risk.

The research suggests babies may be protected against brain bleeds from two weeks after birth, when low platelet levels no longer caused bleeds.

Researcher Alison Farley said that while it was an animal model, the new thresholds could one day identify when treatment was necessary and when an invasive platelet transfusion could be avoided.

“Working out the thresholds of platelets levels that will always lead to brain bleeds, and the range that may not, is critical,” Dr Farley said.

“Our work is trying to show that if that level falls in the middle level that we described, they might be giving transfusions to babies that, really, were never going to be susceptible to bleeding.”

Her colleague Dr Samir Taoudi said it was an “aha” moment when they realised the link between low platelet levels and brain bleeds.

“This is almost as good as it gets as scientists,” he said. “The only better thing is going to be once she (Dr Farley) figures out how to stop the bleeding. That’d be the pinnacle.”