Red Cell Distribution Width on First Day Intensive Care Unit Admission in Paediatrics

Red distribution width (RDW) has recently been acclaimed as prognostic marker for mortality in critically-ill patients. However, this claim is still unclear and reports are still inadequate for the association between RDW and mortality in critically-ill paediatric patients. This research assessed the correlation between RDW within 24 hours of PICU (paediatric intensive care unit) admission and PELOD-2 score. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 59 pediatric patients admitted to the PICU Haji Adam Malik Hospital, Medan, Indonesia, from May to July 2019. The association between RDW and PELOD-2 score was assessed by using Spearman correlation test. The RDW level of paediatric patients in the PICU on the first 24 hours was elevated (median 14.7%, range 11.4–31.2%). The median of PELOD-2 score assessment was 8 (range 2–21). There was no significant correlation between RDW and PELOD-2 in this research (r=0.187, p=0.156).