Retrospective evaluation of red blood cell distribution width as a prognostic factor in critically ill dogs (December 2016 to April 2017): 127 cas

Objective To evaluate the association between RBC distribution width (RDW) and in-hospital mortality, length of hospitalization, and leukocyte count in critically ill dogs. Design Retrospective study. Setting University teaching hospital. Animals One hundred and twenty-seven dogs admitted to the ICU from December 2016 to April 2017. Patients were included if they had a CBC performed within the first 24 h of admission. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 29% (37/127), and median length of hospital stay was 3 days (interquartile range [IQR], 5). The median RDW value was 13.8% (IQR, 1.6%; reference interval, 11.9%-14.5 %). The canine Acute Patient Physiologic and Laboratory Evaluation (APPLE) fast score was calculated in 81 of 127 (64%) patients; the median score was 24/50 (IQR, 9). There was no significant correlation between RDW and APPLE fast score (P = 0.163). Subgroup analysis was performed according to the following diagnostic categories: abdominal (36%; 46/127), hematological (13%; 16/127), respiratory (13%; 16/127), neurological (12%; 15/127), cardiovascular (11%; 14/127), integument (3%; 4/127), trauma (3%; 4/127), musculoskeletal (2%; 3/127), and others (7%; 9/127). Increased RDW was not associated with in-hospital mortality overall (P = 0.381) or in any individual subgroup analysis. No association was found between length of hospitalization and RDW values in either survivors (P = 0.548) or nonsurvivors (P = 0.083). The correlation between RDW and leukocyte count was nonsignificant (P = 0.12). Conclusions In this study, admission RDW was not associated with in-hospital mortality or length of hospitalization in critically ill dogs. The correlation between RDW and leukocyte count was nonsignificant.

Automated summary

The admission RDW in critically ill dogs was not associated with in-hospital mortality or length of hospitalization, and there was no significant correlation between RDW and leukocyte count.