THE ROLE OF RED CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH PREDICTING IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY OF INTENSIVE CARE UNIT PATIENTS

Introduction: Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been reported as a prognostic marker in many clinical conditions. Mortality prediction of intensive care unit (ICU) patients is challenging and in this study we aimed to assess the value of RDW in predicting mortality of adult ICU patients. Materials and methods: RDW values and outcomes of ICU patients from former study were retrospectively collected from medical records. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II scores were calculated according to data obtained from medical charts. Results: 81 patients of the former study were screened for eligibility and 58 of them were enrolled. Mean age was 69.0 +/- 15.42 years (95 % CI; 30-90) and 55.2 % were male. There were 26 patients in the survivor group and 32 patients were in the non-survivor group. Regression analysis showed no association between mortality and initial RDW values. However, RDW values of last ICU day showed a positive correlation with mortality. APACHE II, SOFA, and SAPS II scores were higher in non-survivor patients than survivors. Conclusion: Whilst there was some correlation between RDW at the end of stay and mortality, RDW had no benefit over existing scoring systems.RDW value does not seem as a promising independent factor but further studies investigating its contribution to current scoring systemsin specific groups can be reasonable.