Hematocrit and creatinine as predictors of mortality in critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study

Flores-Palacios R.; Encinas-Llica R.; Huaycani-Aduviri J.; Ramos-Vilca A.; Gutierrez-Avila A. · Revista del Cuerpo Medico Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo (2026) · DOI: 10.35434/rcmhnaaa.2026.191.2968

Resumen

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether haematocrit and creatinine levels at admission are independent predictors of mortality in critically ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Materials and Methods: This study was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee under registration CIEI-No-010. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 158 patients admitted to the ICU between 2021 and 2023. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were collected. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Results: The overall mortality rate was 38.6%. The most common reason for admission was respiratory failure (34.8%), and 60.8% of patients were male. Hypertension (44.9%) and diabetes mellitus (29.8%) were the most frequent comorbidities. Haematocrit ≥ 40% (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.87, p=0.028), creatinine ≥ 1.2 mg/dL (aHR: 1.73, p=0.039) and a mean arterial pressure < 65 mmHg (aHR: 2.24; p = 0.003) were identified as significant predictors of mortality. APACHE II and SOFA scores, although commonly associated with prognosis, were not significant in this sample. In the discrimination analysis, creatinine and hematocrit demonstrated moderate discriminative ability for mortality, with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.644 and 0.591, respectively. Conclusion: Elevated haematocrit and creatinine levels at ICU admission are independent predictors of mortality in critically ill patients. These parameters may serve as accessible and cost-effective tools for early risk assessment.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann