Anemia among Pediatric Critical Care Survivors: Prevalence and Resolution

To determine the incidence of anemia among pediatric critical care survivors and to determine whether it resolves within 6 months of discharge. Design. A prospective observational study. Patients with anemia upon discharge from the pediatric critical care unit (PCCU) underwent in hospital and post hospital discharge followup (4-6 months) for hemoglobin (Hb) levels. Setting. A medical-surgical PCCU in a tertiary care center. Patients. Patients aged 28 days to 18 years who were treated in the PCCU for over 24 hours. Measurements and Main Results. 94 (24%) out of 392 eligible patients were anemic at time of discharge. Patients with anemia were older, median 8.0 yrs [(IQR 1.0-14.4) versus 3.2 yrs (IQR 0.65-9.9) (P < 0.001)], and had higher PeLOD [median 11 (IQR 10-12) versus 1.5 (1-4) (P < 0.001)], and PRISM [median 5 (IQR 2-11) versus 3 (IQR 0-6) (P < 0.001)] scores. The Hb level normalized in 32% of patients before discharge from hospital. Of the 28 patients who completed followup, all had normalization of their Hb in the absence of medical intervention. Conclusions. Anemia is not common among patients discharged from the PCCU and recovers spontaneously within 4-6 months.