“Normal values” for blood parameters of neonates are generally unavailable, because blood
is not usually drawn on healthy, normal neonates to establish normal ranges.
Instead,“reference ranges” are used, consisting of the 5th to the 95th percentile values
compiled from tests performed on neonatal patients with minimal pathology, under the
premise that such ranges approximate normal values. In recent years, we have been
seeking to establish reference ranges for various elements of the complete blood count …