[Thrombocytopenia in the intensive care unit]

Thrombocytopenia is a frequent phenomenon in intensive care medicine. A variety of conditions can be responsible for low platelet counts. As platelets are part of the primary hemostatic system, bleeding is the most important complication of thrombocytopenia. Proper workup of the differential diagnosis to identify the cause of thrombocytopenia is essential because the various underlying disorders require different diagnostic and therapeutic management strategies. A low platelet count is a strong predictor of outcome in critically ill patients.This article summarizes the differential diagnosis and diagnostic workup of thrombocytopenia in the critically ill, describes the most important conditions, and gives an overview on therapeutic options and strategies.