Monday June 19, 2006
Anemia in ICU
Q: If you admit a patient with Hb of 10 g/dL and draw 100 ml of blood for various lab works. How much will be the drop in Hb ?
A; Hb will drop from 10 to 9.3 g/dL. With each 100 ml of blood draws, Hb drop by 0.7 g/dL 1. Remember ! phlebotomy (blood draws) is the major of cause anemia in ICUs.
Bonus pearl: In anemic patients, if blood workup is necessary, use pediatric tubes.
Related previous pearl: ICU anemia score
Reference: click to get abstract
Blood testing causes anemia - J Gen Intern Med 2005; 20:520–524
