Table 1.
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the analyzed patients.
| Characteristic | Total n = 178 | Elevated LAR n = 50 | Normal LAR n = 128 | P value1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, months (IQR) | 23.1 (6.1-120.1) | 52.5 (7.2-144.7) | 12.0 (6.1-102.8) | 0.1 |
| Weight, kg (IQR) | 10.8 (6.4–29.9) | 17.0 (6.8–31.0) | 10 (6.4–28.4) | 0.35 |
| Female sex (%) | 84 (47.2) | 25 (50) | 59 (46.1) | 0.76 |
| Days in PICU (IQR) | 12.0 (7.0–22.0) | 14.0 (6.5–22.5) | 12 (7.0–19.0) | 0.91 |
| Focus of infection (%) | 0.34 | |||
| Respiratory | 61 (35.3) | 20 (40.8) | 41 (33.1) | |
| Gastrointestinal tract | 42 (24.3) | 14 (28.6) | 28 (22.6) | |
| Central nervous system | 9 (5.2) | 1.0 (2.0) | 8.0 (6.5) | |
| Other | 61 (35.3) | 14 (28.6) | 47.0 (37.9) | |
| Local sepsis (%) | 61 (34.2) | 9 (18) | 52 (40.6) | 0.53 |
| Remote sepsis (%) | 117 (65.7) | 41 (82) | 76 (59.4) | 0.46 |
| PIM-2 (IQR) | 15 (6.5–26) | 18.7 (6.7–26.5) | 14 (6.3–25.6) | 0.57 |
| PELOD-2 score (IQR) | 6.0 (3.0–9.0) | 6.0 (3–8.0) | 7.0 (3.0–9.0) | 0.29 |
| Phoenix Sepsis Score | 4.0 (3.0–5.0) | 4.0 (4.0–5.0) | 4.0 (2.5-4.0) | 0.01 |
| Lactate, mmol/L | 2.45 (1.9–3.7) | 2.8 (2.4–3.2) | 2.2 (1.9–2.3) | 0.08 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.0 (2.2–3.6) | 2.8 (2.5-3.0) | 3.2 (2.9–3.4) | 0.12 |
| Glucose mg/dL (IQR) | 114.0 (94.6-139.5) | 121.0 (99.4–149.0) | 108.6 (91.6-132.5) | 0.04 |
| Ferritin mg/dL (IQR) | 424 (190-1586.4) | 583.2 (298-2130.5) | 373.5 (160-1265.8) | 0.02 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/dL (IQR) | 4.7 (1.6–11.4) | 5.3 (1.6–12.6) | 4.4 (1.6–9.1) | 0.61 |
| D-dimer, mg/L (IQR) | 3.6 (1.6–8.3) | 4.3 (2.1–8.3) | 3.5 (1.2–8.4) | 0.48 |
| Procalcitonin, g/dL (IQR) | 1.4 (0.4-5.0) | 2.1 (0.9–13.3) | 1.1 (0.3–4.3) | < 0.01 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL (IQR) | 0.4 (0.3–0.6) | 0.5 (0.3–0.8) | 0.4 (0.3–0.6) | 0.08 |
| Vasoactive score (IQR) | 10 (5.0-28.4) | 19 (6.2–31.9) | 7.5 (4.0-24.1) | 0.01 |
| Mechanical ventilation (%) | 152 (87.9) | 44 (89.8) | 108 (87.1) | 0.81 |
| Mortality (%) | 21.0 (12.1) | 11 (22.9) | 10 (8.0) | 0.01 |
An LAR (lactate-albumin ratio) greater than 0.5 is considered elevated, and equal to or less than 0.49 is considered normal1. Statistically significant p values are in bold (p < 0.05). P-values by Student’s t test, Chi-square test, or Mann–Whitney U test, as applicable. Those not labeled were analyzed using the Chi-square test. PIM-2: Pediatric Index of Mortality-2; PELOD-2: Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2. PICU: pediatric intensive care unit. IQR: interquartile range.