Premature neonates are highly transfused patients, though robust evidence supporting neonatal transfusion practice is scarce. There are no international neonatal transfusion guidelines that have been implemented by Europe as a whole, resulting in significant variation in transfusion practice within Europe. Recent consensus meetings and scientific reviews underline the need for high quality, global epidemiologic data as a first step towards improving neonatal transfusion medicine.

In this prospective, European, multicenter, observational prevalence study, we will include neonates with a gestational age of less than 32 weeks at birth who are admitted to a participating tertiary level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Over 75 NICUs from 22 European countries will participate in the INSPIRE-Study. We aim to describe the prevalence, indications, adverse effects, and component specifications of RBC, platelet, and plasma transfusions in preterm neonates.

The INSPIRE-Study will provide a picture of current neonatal transfusion practices within Europe, which can be used to identify current neonatal transfusion practices that can be improved, to promote adherence to evidence-based transfusion guidelines, and to inform future randomized controlled trials.

The INSPIRE data collection started in the first centers in September 2022. By March 2023, a total of 15 countries are already conducting or have completed data collection. Data collection will be finished by summer 2023.