ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the association between red cell distribution width and short-term mortality risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 78 patients with acute coronary syndrome. The study population was classified according to quartiles of the red cell distribution width at hospital admission. A high red cell distribution width was defined as a value in the upper fourth quartile (>15) and a low red cell distribution width was defined as any value set in the lower three quartiles (≤15). After discharge, all patients were followed for three months. RESULTS: The short-term cardiovascular mortality was 47.2% in the high red cell distribution width group vs. 10.2% in the low red cell distribution width group (p<0.001). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a red cell distribution width value of more than 15% yielded a sensitivity of 66.7%, a specificity of 83%, and a positive predictive value of 79.7% for cardiac mortality. After multivariate analysis, high levels of red cell distribution width were independent predictors for three-month mortality (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that red cell distribution width is an accessible parameter associated with short-term cardiovascular mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
