Introduction:

Nosocomial anemia is defined as any decrease in hemoglobin during hospitalization, considering normal values upon admission. It is assumed that this phenomenon is not associated with objective blood loss.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of nosocomial anemia in adult patients

admitted to the Medical Clinic Service at a referral hospital in Asunción, Paraguay, between April and October 2023.

Methodology:

An observational, cross-sectional design was used. The sample consisted of adult men and women. Demographic and clinical variables were measured. The variables were subjected to descriptive statistics.

Results:

Forty-four men with a median age of 62 years and 45 women with a median age of 58 years were included in the study. The most frequent diagnoses were community-acquired pneumonia (26.9%), stroke (11.2%), and urinary infection (10.1%). Considering gender, the onset of nosocomial anemia was determined one week after admission in 73% of adult patients who were admitted with normal hematimetric values and in 46.2% of those who were already admitted with anemia. The number of phlebotomies was greater in subjects who developed anemia.

Discussion:

The frequency of nosocomial anemia is high and seems to be associated with a high number of phlebotomies.

Conclusions:

A decrease in hemoglobin of at least 2 g/dL during the first week of hospitalization was observed in 73% of subjects who were admitted with normal hematimetric values and in 46.2% of those who were already admitted with anemia. It is recommended to evaluate the number and necessity of the number of phlebotomies during hospitalization.

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