Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Critical Care Medicine

During an average ICU stay, a critically ill patient can lose a total of 762 ml of blood to laboratory tests. (1) A recent report from ICUs in western europe demonstrated an average total phlebotomy volume of 41.1 ml during a 24-hour observation period. The pathophysiologic consequences of anemia in critically ill patients include inadequate tissue oxygenation and eventual ischemia of end organs. Inadequate tissue oxygenation results from either decreased oxygen delivery and/or increased tissue oxygen consumption. Oxygen delivery is a function of arterial oxygen content and cardiac output. Hemoglobin concentration and o saturation both affect arterial oxygen content. Oxygen consumption is the rate at which tissues take up oxygen and is a function of oxygen delivery and the amount of oxygen that is extracted by tissues (i.e., the oxygen extraction rat A growing body of literature on anemia of critical illness points to four conclusions: Anemia is highly prevalent in the critically ill; It is associated with higher health care resource use; It may be associated with poor patient outcomes; and there is no currently available therapy without shortcomings

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