High red blood cell distribution width is associated with a risk of short-term mortality in hospitalized surgical, but not clinical patients.

Background & Aims: The distribution width of red blood cells (RDW) is a known factor risk for mortality. However, the association between high RDW and short-term mortality in surgical patients is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of high RDW with all-cause in-hospital mortality, in surgical and non-surgical patients.