Introduction: Limited data is available on anemia at discharge from Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Pakistan. To determine the prevalence of anemia among critically ill children discharged from a PICU of public-sector Children hospital. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on children (1mo-15 years) who had hemoglobin measurement two or more times and last one was done within 24-hour of discharge in the PICU of Children Hospital, Korangi-5 from January to December 2024. Anemia is defined as hemoglobin 10 g/dL. At the time of discharge, anemia (Hb 10 g/dL at discharge. Among those with Hb 10 g/dL. Conversely, among those with Hb >10 g/dL at admission, 43.9% developed anemia by discharge, whereas 56.1% maintained normal hemoglobin levels. Conclusions: Anemia at discharge is clinically significant as it may contribute to delayed recovery, poor growth, impaired neurodevelopment, and increased risk of hospital readmission. These findings highlight the need to address anemia as part of discharge planning and post-PICU follow-up, and call for further research into modifiable factors and timely interventions.
Kamran et al. (Sun,) studied this question.