Background Hemoglobin levels are a critical parameter for oxygen delivery in patients with shock. On comparing target hemoglobin levels upon transfusion initiation, the correlation between the severity of decrease in hemoglobin levels and patient outcomes remains unclear. We evaluated the association between initial hemoglobin levels and mortality in patients with septic shock treated with protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy at an emergency department.
Methods Data of adult patients diagnosed with septic shock between June 2012 and December 2016 were extracted from a prospectively compiled septic shock registry at a single academic medical center. Patients were classified into four groups according to initial hemoglobin levels: ≥9.0 g/dl, 8.0−8.9 g/dl, 7.0−7.9 g/dl, and <7.0 g/dl. The primary endpoint was 90-day mortality.
Results In total, 2,265 patients (male, 58.3%; median age, 70.0 years [interquartile range, 60 to 78 years]) with septic shock were included. For the four groups, 90-day mortality rates were as follows: 29.1%, 43.0%, 46.5%, and 46.9% for ≥9.0 g/dl (n=1,808), 8.0−8.9 g/dl (n=217), 7.0−7.9 g/dl (n=135), and <7.0 g/dl (n=105), respectively (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that initial hemoglobin levels were an independent factor associated with 90-day mortality and mortality proportionally increased with decreasing hemoglobin levels (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36 to 2.61 for 8.0−8.9 g/dl; OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.31 to 2.95 for 7.0–7.9 g/dl; and OR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.52 to 3.63 for <7.0 g/dl).
Conclusions Low hemoglobin levels (<9.0 g/dl) were observed in approximately 20% of patients with septic shock, and the severity of decrease in these levels correlated with mortality.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Red Blood Cell Transfusion Beyond Restrictive Thresholds in Patients With Septic Shock and an Elevated Lactate Level: A Multicenter Observational Study Kyung Hun Yoo, Gil Joon Suh, Woon Yong Kwon, Sung-Hyuk Choi, Sung Phil Chung, Won Young Kim, Kyuseok Kim, Yoo Seok Park, Tae Gun Shin, Byuk Sung Ko, Tae Ho Lim, Yongil Cho Journal of Korean Medical Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Platelet-lymphocyte ratio and its dynamic changes predict mortality in septic acute kidney injury patients: a retrospective multi-center study using U.S. database and Chinese hospital data Caihong Liu, Xue Tang, Wei Wei, Yongxiu Huang, Mingjing Guan, Jinglei Ren, Binyu Yang, Ping Fu, Ling Zhang, Yuliang Zhao PeerJ.2026; 14: e20522. CrossRef
Development of Machine Learning Models to Predict 28-Day Mortality in Patients with Sepsis-Associated Liver Injury Yupeng Li, Junyi Fan, Kamiar Alaei, Maryam Pishgar BioMedInformatics.2026; 6(1): 4. CrossRef
Construction and validation of a predictive model for mortality risk in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection Donghao Cai, Tongjie Chen, Jinhong Jiang, Xiaojing Hong, Hui Li, Junqing Tan, Song Li, Shaoqin Lai, Xiaojun Li, Aiwen Li BMC Infectious Diseases.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Predictors of Mortality in Medical ICU Patients: A Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Center in Jordan Tarek Gharibeh, Munir Abu-Helalah, Hussam Alshraideh, Manar Abu Awwad, Zaid Al Bzour, Majd Abuzayed, Luma Taweel, Zahraa Al-Fayyadh, Bushra Wraikat, Yomna Alfaqeeh, Layan Aburumman Journal of Clinical Medicine.2025; 14(12): 4039. CrossRef
Recommended Hematocrit in Patients With Sepsis: An Observational Study Shih‐Hong Chen, Linyi Chen Health Science Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Septic shock in oral cancer Ezhilarasi SUNDARAM, Uma S. PAL, Ranjeet SINGH, Tanvi VINARKAR European Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Machine learning algorithms for risk factor selection with application to 60-day sepsis morbidity risk for a geriatric hip fracture cohort Zhe Xu, Ruguo Zhang, Qiuhan Chen, Guoxuan Peng, Shanpeng Luo, Chen Liu, Ling Zeng, Jin Deng BMC Geriatrics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Association of hemoglobin level trajectories with clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis or shock: a retrospective observational study Jingjing Huang, Dengxiu Zou, Quan Wang, Yuchen Liu, Kexin Zhang, Shiya Liu, Sufang Huang BMC Infectious Diseases.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Prognostic value of hemoglobin in patients with sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis Jin Zhu, Yanyan Dong, Pengda Liao, Xin Yin, Jianzhuo He, Liheng Guo Heart & Lung.2024; 64: 93. CrossRef
Acute blood loss anemia in hospitalized patients is associated with adverse outcomes: An analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Dhweeja Dasarathy, Amy H. Attaway The American Journal of the Medical Sciences.2024; 367(4): 243. CrossRef
Ceftriaxone-induced severe hemolytic anemia, renal calculi, and cholecystolithiasis in a 3-year-old child: a case report and literature review Enfu Tao, Huangjia Zhou, Meili Zheng, Yisha Zhao, Junfen Zhou, Junhui Yuan, Tianming Yuan, Changhua Zheng Frontiers in Pharmacology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Postoperative pneumonia after femoral fracture surgery: an in-depth retrospective analysis Mohammad Hamdan, Bassem I. Haddad, Jamil Almohtasib, Mira Eid, Tasneem Jamal Al-Din, Hashem A. Rayyan, Ahmad M. Altantawi, Abdussalam S. Akaheal, Mohammad Ali Alshrouf BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Relationship between the magnitude of haemoglobin changes and long-term mortality in patients with sepsis: a retrospective cohort study Wen-Ming Shao, Lu-Wei Ye, Lu-ming Zhang, Yu-Long Wang, Hui Liu, Dan He, Jia-Liang Zhu, Jun Lyu, Haiyan Yin BMC Infectious Diseases.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Association between red blood cells transfusion and 28-day mortality rate in septic patients with concomitant chronic kidney disease Lei Chen, Honglei Lu, Chenwei Lv, Haibin Ni, Renjun Yu, Bing Zhang, Xingxing Hu Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Exploring a global interpretation mechanism for deep learning networks when predicting sepsis Ethan A. T. Strickler, Joshua Thomas, Johnson P. Thomas, Bruce Benjamin, Rittika Shamsuddin Scientific Reports.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Blood count derangements after sepsis and association with post-hospital outcomes Scott J. Denstaedt, Jennifer Cano, Xiao Qing Wang, John P. Donnelly, Sarah Seelye, Hallie C. Prescott Frontiers in Immunology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Potential therapeutic effect of Carica papaya leaves extract on immune response, biochemical and hematological mechanisms on cecal ligation and puncture model of sepsis in rats: an in vivo study Juveria Usmani, Mohd Wasim, Mohd Nazam Ansari, Mohammed Jaseem Hassan, Manju Sharma, Razi Ahmad 3 Biotech.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Mortality among adult patients with sepsis and septic shock in Korea: a systematic review and meta-analysis Myeong Namgung, Chiwon Ahn, Yeonkyung Park, Il-Youp Kwak, Jungguk Lee, Moonho Won Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine.2023; 10(2): 157. CrossRef
Predictive Rule for Mortality of Inpatients With Escherichia coli Bacteremia: Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector Decision Tree Analysis Model Yudai Nakanishi, Sayato Fukui, Akihiro Inui, Daiki Kobayashi, Mizue Saita, Toshio Naito Cureus.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
A Predictive Rule for COVID-19 Pneumonia Among COVID-19 Patients: A Classification and Regression Tree (CART) Analysis Model Sayato Fukui, Akihiro Inui, Takayuki Komatsu, Kanako Ogura, Yutaka Ozaki, Manabu Sugita, Mizue Saita, Daiki Kobayashi, Toshio Naito Cureus.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Applying artificial neural network in predicting sepsis mortality in the emergency department based on clinical features and complete blood count parameters Beata Pui Kwan Wong, Rex Pui Kin Lam, Carrie Yuen Ting Ip, Ho Ching Chan, Lingyun Zhao, Michael Chun Kai Lau, Tat Chi Tsang, Matthew Sik Hon Tsui, Timothy Hudson Rainer Scientific Reports.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Preexisting Clinical Frailty Is Associated With Worse Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Sepsis* Hong Yeul Lee, Jinwoo Lee, Yoon Sun Jung, Woon Yong Kwon, Dong Kyu Oh, Mi Hyeon Park, Chae-Man Lim, Sang-Min Lee Critical Care Medicine.2022; 50(5): 780. CrossRef
Clinical assessment of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a potential diagnostic marker for neonatal sepsis: a prospective cohort study Dina Midan, Fady El-Gendy, Dalia Abo ELAlla, Mayada Kotb Annals of Medicine.2022; 54(1): 1725. CrossRef
A Decrease in Hb and Hypoproteinemia: Possible Predictors of Complications in Neonates with Late-Onset Sepsis in a Developing Country Na Cai, Wei Liao, Zhiqiang Chen, Min Tao, Sheng Chen International Journal of General Medicine.2022; Volume 15: 6583. CrossRef
Impact of 1-Hour Bundle Achievement in Septic Shock Byuk Sung Ko, Sung-Hyuk Choi, Tae Gun Shin, Kyuseok Kim, You Hwan Jo, Seung Mok Ryoo, Yoo Seok Park, Woon Yong Kwon, Han Sung Choi, Sung Phil Chung, Gil Joon Suh, Hyunggoo Kang, Tae Ho Lim, Donghee Son, Won Young Kim Journal of Clinical Medicine.2021; 10(3): 527. CrossRef
The Effect of Haematocrit on Measurement of the Mid-Infrared Refractive Index of Plasma in Whole Blood David J. Rowe, Daniel R. Owens, Suzanne L. Parker, Saul N. Faust, James S. Wilkinson, Goran Z. Mashanovich Biosensors.2021; 11(11): 417. CrossRef
Early Hemoglobin Status as a Predictor of Long-Term Mortality for Sepsis Patients in Intensive Care Units Desheng Qi, Milin Peng Shock.2021; 55(2): 215. CrossRef
Effect of Meeting the 1-Hour Bundle Target on Outcomes in Septic Shock Degu Regasa, Tadele Shiberu Bulletin of Pioneering Researches of Medical and Clinical Science.2021; 1(1): 29. CrossRef
Immature granulocyte and mean platelet volume as a predictor of 30-day postoperative mortality in patients with sepsis caused by peritonitis RudiHartono Sinaga, Arie Utariani, Puspa Wardhani, Hardiono Hardiono Bali Journal of Anesthesiology.2020; 4(4): 166. CrossRef
Jehovah's Witnesses refuse the transfusion of blood and blood products, even when it can be lifesaving. Their religious conviction against receiving blood can create a difficult clinical dilemma, particularly in the life threatening situations. We report a case of a 42-year-old female Jehovah's Witness patient who had life-threatening anemia after postpartum hemorrhage. Despite severe anemia, she had a good postoperative recovery without complications.
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT) is a rare disease that's associated with a wide variety of clinical signs and symptoms, and CVT is a potentially lethal condition. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) as the cause of an adult case of CVT is very rare. We report here on a patient with CVT with intracerebral hemorrhage that was caused by IDA, and the patient was treated with hemodilution. We suggest that hemodilution should be considered as another therapeutic option for CVT with cerebral hemorrhage in a patient suffering with IDA.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome is an unusual and uncommon disease in adults but more common in children, which is defined by the triad of acute renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. We report a 64-year-old man who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome after esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy due to esophageal cancer. We treated him using continuous renal replacement therapy and plasmapheresis with large volume fresh frozen plasma transfusion for 9 days. We could not find the cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome, and so finally concluded that it is idiopathic. Bleeding continuously without a particular reason after an operation, it needs an early diagnosis and treatment with considering a possibility of the hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Intraoperative massive bleeding requires fluid therapy and blood transfusion. But transfusion may elicit infection, hemolytic reaction, hemostatic disorder and other complication. Individuals often produce antibodies to the alleles which lack in ABO and Rh system. Such antibodies are responsible for the most serious reaction to transfusions.
Antibodies may occur "naturally" or in response to sensitization from a previous transfusion or pregnancy. We report a case of severe anemic patient who had Anti Ce due to previous transfusion and was not transfused for several hours because of incompatible cross-matching. His Rh phenotype is revealed cDE.