Triglyceride levels are associated with 30-day mortality in intensive care patients: a retrospective analysis in the MIMIC-IV database

Previous studies suggest that septic patients often have elevated triglyceride levels due to various factors, and higher levels may indicate a poorer prognosis. However, few studies have investigated whether lower triglycerides are associated with a better prognosis.

The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database provided all the data. To assess the association between triglycerides and prognosis, we used logistic regression analysis (LR), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox proportional hazards models.

Inclusion criteria were met by a total of 804 patients with a mean triglyceride of 103 mg/dL. We found that patients had a higher risk of 30-day ICU mortality when triglycerides were in the second quartile (74–103 mg/dL). Interestingly, this group of patients seems to benefit more from the use of atorvastatin.

Our study showed that septic patients with triglyceride levels in the second quartile (74–103 mg/dL) have a higher 30-day ICU mortality rate compared to those with triglyceride levels in other quartiles.