STRATifying Risk for intracErebral haemorrhaGe and Neurodevelopmental DIsorders in Newborns

The occurrence of brain hemorrhage (germinal matrix hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage, GM-IVH) in newborns, especially in preterm infants, is one of the most important prognostic factors for mortality and morbidity (especially for later neurological development) in this collective. The risk of high-grade bleeding in extremely premature infants (22 weeks) is approx. 38% and decreases to approx. 7% by the 28th week. The total frequency of GM-IVH is around 8% in gestational weeks 23 to 31, with each additional gestational week reducing the risk by 3.5%. The etiopathology of brain hemorrhage is complex and involves both environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies particularly suggest an involvement of the immature coagulation system in preterm neonates. Global coagulation parameters, such as the International Normalized Ratio (INR), have already been associated with an increased risk of bleeding, but rarely show fluctuations outside the norm. Furthermore, polymorphisms in the area of individual coagulation factors as well as other inflammatory and vascular individual components of coagulation, are associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Mass spectrometry has long been used for the analysis of biological samples and has developed into an indispensable tool for proteomics research. The study aims to establish the mass spectrometric detection of a total of 125 blood plasma factors containing the individual components of the coagulation system and the complement system. The method enables quantitative detection of the coagulation system with even the smallest sample quantities, so that sampling can be combined with routine measures, particularly in the field of neonatology. This pilot study to compare the compositional differences regarding coagulation factors and the complement system in relation to the gestational age (i.e. preterm ≤32+0 weeks vs. term neonates ≥37+0 weeks).