Higher Prevalence of Concurrent Thrombocytopenia in Patients Receiving Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Introduction Thrombocytopenia (TCP) is a common finding in patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the nature of TCP in patients receiving CRRT. Methods This is a single-center case-control observational study of 795 patients involving over 166,950 h of delivered CRRT at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Concurrent TCP in patients receiving CRRT was defined as a decrease in platelet count of ≥50% any time within 72 h of initiation of CRRT with strict exclusion criteria. Results There was a higher incidence of TCP in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) (22.5%) compared to medical ICU (MICU) (13.1%). Using logistic regression, the odds of developing concurrent TCP in patients receiving CRRT was 2.46 (95% CI 1.32-3.57, p Conclusion Safe delivery of dialysis care in the ICU is paramount and creating awareness of potential risks such as concurrent TCP in patients receiving CRRT should be part of this care.