Thrombocytopenia in the critically ill

摘要

Alterations in the number and function of platelets are observed frequently in patients with critical illness as recruitment and activation of platelets are central in conditions associated with tissue injury. Thrombocytopenia, defined as a platelet count < 150 x 109-L~ has a reported prevalence of 8-67% and an incidence of 13-44% in critically ill patients. The wide range of frequencies reflects the use of heterogeneous selection criteria in studies of critically ill patients and the various categorizations of thrombocytopenia (different platelet counts used to define thrombocytopenia).