Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 May 15;185(10):1049-57.
doi: 10.1164/rccm.201110-1915CI. Epub 2012 Jan 26.

Anemia in critical illness: insights into etiology, consequences, and management

Shailaja J Hayden  1 , Tyler J Albert, Timothy R Watkins, Erik R Swenson
Affiliations
Review

Anemia in critical illness: insights into etiology, consequences, and management

Shailaja J Hayden et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. .

Abstract

Anemia is common in the intensive care unit, and may be associated with adverse consequences. However, current options for correcting anemia are not without problems and presently lack convincing efficacy for improving survival in critically ill patients. In this article we review normal red blood cell physiology; etiologies of anemia in the intensive care unit; its association with adverse outcomes; and the risks, benefits, and efficacy of various management strategies, including blood transfusion, erythropoietin, blood substitutes, iron therapy, and minimization of diagnostic phlebotomy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Vincent JL, Baron JF, Reinhart K, Gattinoni L, Thijs L, Webb A, Meier-Hellmann A, Nollet G, Peres-Bota D; ABC (Anemia and Blood Transfusion in Critical Care) Investigators. Anemia and blood transfusion in critically ill patients. JAMA 2002;288:1499–1507. - PubMed
    1. Corwin HL, Gettinger A, Pearl RG, Fink MP, Levy MM, Abraham E, MacIntyre NR, Shabot MM, Duh MS, Shapiro MJ. The CRIT Study: anemia and blood transfusion in the critically ill—current clinical practice in the United States. Crit Care Med 2004;32:39–52. - PubMed
    1. Thomas J, Jensen L, Nahirniak S, Gibney RT. Anemia and blood transfusion practices in the critically ill: a prospective cohort review. Heart Lung 2010;39:217–225. - PubMed
    1. Baskurt OK, Yalcin O, Meiselman HJ. Hemorheology and vascular control mechanisms. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc 2004;30:169–178. - PubMed
    1. Cosby K, Partovi KS, Crawford JH, Patel RP, Reiter CD, Martyr S, Yang BK, Waclawiw MA, Zalos G, Xu X, et al. Nitrite reduction to nitric oxide by deoxyhemoglobin vasodilates the human circulation. Nat Med 2003;9:1498–1505. - PubMed

Publication types