Table 4.
Incidence and associated mortality of diseases defined by laboratory abnormalities
| Type of Pathology | Laboratory Abnormality | No. of ICU Stays With at Least One Valid Measurementa | No. of ICU Stays With at Least One Episode of Abnormality | Associated Mortality Rate (Positive Cases) | Associated Mortality Rate (Negative Controls) | Odds Ratio | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metabolic acidosis | Arterial pH <7.2 and HCO3 <18 | 12,894 | 785 | 53.1% | 12.7% | 7.8 | 6.7–9.0 |
| Thrombocytopenia | Platelet count <50,000 | 18,917 | 872 | 42.2% | 9.8% | 6.7 | 5.8–7.8 |
| Renal insufficiency | Creatinine ≥2 mg/dL | 18,855 | 3523 | 25.8% | 8.2% | 3.9 | 3.5–4.3 |
| Hypoglycemia | Glucose <40 | 18,261 | 163 | 31.9% | 11.6% | 3.5 | 2.5–4.9 |
| Hepatitis | Bilirubin >4.0 OR AST > 500 OR ALT > 500 | 8364 | 1327 | 35.8% | 14.7% | 3.3 | 2.9–3.7 |
| Leukocytosis | White blood count >15,000 | 18,509 | 7079 | 18.6% | 7.1% | 3.0 | 2.7–3.2 |
| Acute lung injury | PaO2/FIO2 ≤300 mm Hg | 10,476 | 6819 | 19.8% | 12.5% | 2.0 | 1.8–2.3 |
| Anemia | Hematocrit <25 | 19,046 | 4835 | 15.0% | 10.0% | 1.6 | 1.4–1.8 |
| Myocardial infarction | Troponin T >0.1 ng/dL or Troponin I >2.0 ng/dL | 5022 | 2904 | 21.3% | 18.9% | 1.2 | 1.0–1.4 |
ICU, intensive care unit; CI, confidence interval; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine transaminase.
a
Excludes hospitalizations with multiple ICU stays and the last 12 hrs of every patient record to avoid end-of-life physiology. Note that odds ratio applies only to ICU stays in which the diagnostic test was performed.