Persistent inflammation and anemia among critically ill septic patients

摘要

BACKGROUND: Associations among inflammatory cytokines, erythropoietin (EPO), and anemia in critically ill septic patients remain unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that elevated inflammatory cytokines and decreased EPO would be associated with iron-restricted anemia while accounting for operative blood loss, phlebotomy blood loss, and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion volume.