Hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients with cancer: incidence and mortality.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients with cancer and to describe the relationship of serum albumin levels to mortality.


METHODS
An observational cohort study. There were no interventions.


RESULTS
During the study period, 200 patients were eligible for inclusion. A total of 164 (82%) patients had a serum albumin concentration below 35 g/L, of which 91 (55.5%) patients had levels of albumin ≤20 g/L. The mean serum albumin was 18.17 g/L. The crude mortality rate was 22.5%. The highest mortality rate (73%) was seen in the group of patients whose serum albumin levels were <20 g/L.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients with cancer admitted to ICU was high.
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Mexico City, Mexico. snamendys@incan.edu.mx
Silvio A
SA
Ñamendys-Silva
María O
MO
González-Herrera
Julia
J
Texcocano-Becerra
Angel
A
Herrera-Gómez
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D015994:Incidence; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*