TRI-Supported Researcher Megha Sharma, M.D., Published in Pediatrics

By David Robinson

A successful effort at UAMS to reduce the amount of blood taken for lab tests from premature infants has been published in the journal Pediatrics.

The project was led by Megha Sharma, M.D., a neonatologist and associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. Her work was conducted in the UAMS Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) over two years as part of the UAMS Translational Research Institute’s Implementation Science Scholars Program. Her paper, “Reducing Iatrogenic Blood Losses in Premature Infants,” was published in September.

Research has shown that blood loss from repetitive lab testing is a significant contributor to anemia in very low birth weight infants (less than 3.3 pounds). The blood lost from lab tests in the first few weeks of life often equals or exceeds the amount of an infant’s total blood volume, which is only 2-3 ounces. It can lead to a range of poor health outcomes.

TRI-Supported Researcher Megha Sharma, M.D., Published in Pediatrics

Megha Sharma, M.D., poses with a poster about her Implementation Science Scholars project.