Abstract：Objective To explore the changes of plasma D-dimer levels and their clinical implication in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods We measured the dynamic variations of plasma D-dimer levels in 40 neonates with HIE and 20 normal controls using the latex agglutination method and observed the incidence of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRE). Results The plasma D-dimer level markedly increased in the acute stage of HIE compared with the remission phase, especially in the moderate and severe groups ( 3.50 ± 0.20 ) mg/L vs. ( 0.42 ± 0.04 ) mg/L; ( 8.20 ± 0.35 ) mg/L vs. ( 3.00 ± 0.20 ) mg/L, respectively (P< 0.01 ), and the D-dimer levels were much higher than those of the normal controls (0.26±0.03) mg/L, (P< 0.01 ). There was no difference between the milds and the controls. The plasma D-dimer levels and the incidence of SIRS were positively correlated (r= 0.987 ). Conclusions Plasma D-dimer may play an important role in the pathologic process in HIE and it may be of use as an index in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of HIE. [
