Table 1.

Causes for anemia in critically ill patients.

Pathophysiological Causes for Anemia	Iatrogenic Causes for Anemia
Inflammation leads to: -Impairment of erythropoiesis -Reduction of RBC maturation and life span	Frequency and volume of phlebotomies
Endogenous kidney dysfunction with low EPO concentration	Hemolysis due to ECMO-therapy and CRRT
Altered iron metabolism	Blood volume discarded
Nutritional deficiency of iron, folate, vitamin B12	Invasive procedures
Fluid shift due to sepsis	Coagulation disorders due to pharmacotherapy
Major hemorrhages	Impaired/insufficient enteral feeding
Occult bleedings	Fluid resuscitation in septic patients
Coagulation disorders due to thrombocytopenia and liver synthesis disorders	Surgical interventions

EPO = Erythropoietin. CRRT = continuous renal replacement therapy. ECMO = extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.