| Clinical Criteria |
|---|
| Impaired Consciousness: Glasgow Coma Scale score <11 |
| Respiratory Distress: requirement for noninvasive and/or endotracheal mechanical ventilation or spontaneous breathing with PaO2 <60 mmHg (if FiO2 ≥0.21) and/or respiratory rate >32/min |
| Multiple Convulsions |
| Circulatory Collapse: systolic blood pressure <80 mmHg despite adequate volume repletion |
| Abnormal Bleeding |
| Jaundice: clinical jaundice or bilirubin >50 µmol/L |
| Macroscopic Haemoglobinuria: if unequivocally related to acute malaria (patients with blackwater fever were not included) |
| Laboratory Criteria |
| Severe Anaemia: hemoglobin <5 g/L |
| Hypoglycemia: blood glucose <2.2 mmol/L |
| Acidemia: (pH<7.35) or acidosis (serum bicarbonate <15 mmol/L) |
| Hyperlactatemia: arterial lactate >5 mmol/L |
| Hyperparasitemia: ≥4% |
| Renal Impairment: serum creatinine >265 µmol/L or blood urea nitrogen >17 mmol/L |