TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF ANEMIA ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES WITH SEVERE PNEUMONIA IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS

Abstract

Introduction: The major cause of morbidity and mortality which requires admission to intensive care unit (ICU), is severe pneumonia. It leads to septic shock and significantly long term stay in ICU. Anemia is often associated with it and is a known predictor of increased mortality and morbidity. Objective To assess the association between anemia and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to ICU with severe pneumonia. Place and Duration: The study was conducted at ICU of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad over 6 months from 11 December,2025 to 09 June,2026. Methodology: 86 patients with severe pneumonia were included in this cross-sectional research. Based on their hemoglobin status, they were divided into two groups: anemia and non-anemia (43 in each group). Data on demographics, comorbidities, hemoglobin level and clinical outcomes such as mortality, mechanical ventilation (MV), renal replacement therapy (RRT), and ICU stay were collected on a pre-formed questionnaire. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Results: The median age was this cohort was 65 years with female predominance (54.7%). The anaemia group had significantly higher rates of Mechanical Ventilation (51.2% vs 18.6%, p=.002), prolonged ICU stay >7 days (32.6% vs 2.3%, p<.001), and Renal Replacement Therapy (18.6% vs 0%, p=.003). The anemia group's ICU stay was substantially longer (median 5 vs. 3 days, p<.001). On multivariate analysis, anemia independently predicted prolonged ICU stay (aOR=16.81, 95% CI 2.03–139.0, p=.009) and mechanical ventilation need (aOR=5.35, 95% CI 1.81–15.87, p=.003). Mortality was non-significant between groups (20.9% vs 11.6%, p=.243). Conclusion: Length of ICU stay and need for MV was significantly associated with anemia in patients with severe pneumonia. While mortality was not significant in both groups.