title: Anemia in critical illness: insights into etiology, consequences, and management.
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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Shailaja J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.forename: Tyler J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: Erik R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Swenson
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006397:Hematinics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007501:Iron / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006397:Hematinics; D014131:Trace Elements; D004921:Erythropoietin; D007501:Iron