Table 1 Criteria for severe Plasmodium knowlesi malaria

Unrousable coma^a

Glasgow coma scale < 11

Respiratory distress

Oxygen saturation < 92% with respiratory rate > 30 breaths/min

Shock

Systolic blood pressure < 80 mmHg with cool peripheries or impaired capillary refill

Jaundice

Bilirubin > 50 μmol/L, with parasitaemia > 20,000/μL and/or creatinine > 132 μmol/L

Severe anaemia

Haemoglobin < 7.0 g/dL (adults)

Haemoglobin < 5.0 g/dL (children)^a

Significant abnormal bleeding

Including recurrent or prolonged bleeding (from the nose, gums or venipuncture sites), haematemesis or melena

Hypoglycaemia

Blood glucose < 2.2 mmol/L

Metabolic acidosis

Bicarbonate < 15 mmol/L or lactate > 5 mmol/L

Acute kidney injury

Creatinine > 265 μmol/L

Hyperparasitaemia

Parasite count > 100,000/μL (or > 2% infected red blood cells)