Red cell distribution width, illness severity, and all-cause mortality in dogs admitted to the ICU.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether red cell distribution width (RDW) can predict illness severity and mortality risk in a heterogenous population of dogs admitted to the ICU. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Large, urban, private teaching hospital. ANIMALS: One hundred eleven dogs consecutively admitted to the ICU between September 2017 and December 2018. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Abbreviated Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation (APPLE) score and RDW were measured within 6 h of ICU admission. This study did not demonstrate a significant difference in illness severity across patients stratified by RDW. There was no difference in RDW between survivors and nonsurvivors at hospital discharge or at 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: In this study population, RDW did not correspond with illness severity as measured by APPLE. Moreover, RDW did not predict in-hospital or 30-day mortality.