Correlation of Red Cell Distribution Width and Serum Lactate Levels in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients

Background: Blood lactate concentration has been widely used as a marker of altered tissue perfusion. An increase in lactate concentration to >1.5 mEq/L is associated with a higher mortality rate. Red cell distribution width (RDW) measures variability in red blood cell size. The purpose of this research is to see the correlation between lactate levels and RDW. Patients and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study to assess the correlation between blood lactate concentration and RDW in critically ill children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) from October 2018 until February 2019. Blood lactate and RDW were taken during the first 24 h of admission. Data were obtained from the medical report. The association between RDW and lactate was determined using Spearman’s correlation test. Results: There were forty patients enrolled in this study with a median age of 27 months (ranged from 2 months to 17 years), with an equal proportion of male and female. The median PICU length of stay was 7.5 days, with a mortality rate of 42.5%. The most common underlying disease was pneumonia (35%), followed by sepsis (17.5%) and meningitis (10%). The median lactate level was significantly higher in the nonsurvivor group compared to the survivor group (P = 0.002). The median RDW was also higher in the nonsurvivor group (P = 0.001). There is a moderate correlation between RDW and lactate (r = 0.532, P < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a moderate and significant correlation between RDW and serum lactate level in critically ill pediatric patients.