Anemia is common in ICU patients and appears early in the ICU course [1] . In an observational, multicenter, cohort study in Scotland, 25% of patients admitted to the ICU had a hemoglobin level < 9 g/dl [2] . Similar results were reported in the ABC study [3] , in which 29% of patients had a hemoglobin concentration < 10 g/ dl on admission. Even in nonbleeding ICU patients, hemoglobin levels tend to decrease early [3] . This decrease is more pronounced in septic than in nonseptic patients [4] , at least in part because of their inflammatory response; more frequent blood sampling may also contribute.