Prognostic value of the creatinine-albumin ratio in acute pancreatitis debridement

Association between serum creatinine to albumin ratio and short- and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to the intensive care unit: a retrospective analysis based on the MIMIC-IV database

Background

Serum creatinine (Cr) and albumin (Alb) are important predictors of mortality in individuals with various diseases, including acute pancreatitis (AP). However, most previous studies have only examined the relationship between single Cr or Alb levels and the prognosis of patients with AP. To our knowledge, the association between short- and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with AP and the blood creatinine to albumin ratio (CAR) has not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term relationships between CAR and all-cause mortality in patients with AP.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study utilizing data from the Medical Information Market for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV) database. The study involved analyzing various mortality variables and obtaining CAR values at the time of admission. The X-tile software was used to determine the optimal threshold for the CAR. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relationship between CAR and both short- and long-term all-cause mortality. The predictive power, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of CAR for short- and long-term mortality in patients with AP after hospital admission were investigated using Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis. Additionally, subgroup analyses were conducted.

Results

A total of 520 participants were included in this study. The CAR ideal threshold, determined by X-tile software, was 0.446. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed an independent association between CAR≥0.446 and all-cause mortality at 7-day (d), 14-d, 21-d, 28-d, 90-d, and 1-year (y) before and after adjustment for confounders. K-M survival curves showed that patients with CAR≥0.446 had lower survival rates at 7-d, 14-d, 21-d, 28-d, 90-d, and 1-y. Additionally, CAR demonstrated superior performance, with higher AUC values than Cr, Alb, serum total calcium, Glasgow Coma Scale, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome score, and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score at 7-d, 14-d, 21-d, 28-d, 90-d, and 1-y intervals. Subgroup analyses showed that CAR did not interact with a majority of subgroups.

Conclusion

The CAR can serve as an independent predictor for short- and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with AP. This study enhances our understanding of the association between serum-based biomarkers and the prognosis of patients with AP.

Association of creatinine-albumin ratio with 28-day mortality in major burned patients: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Serum creatinine (Cr) and Albumin (Alb) have emerged as prognostic factors for mortality in many diseases including burned patients. However, few studies report the relationship between Cr/Alb ratio and major burned patients. The purpose of this study is to make evaluation of efficacy of Cr/Alb ratio in predicting 28-day mortality in major burned patients.

METHOD

Based on a local largest tertiary hospital in South of China, we retrospectively analyzed data of 174 patients with total burn area surface (TBSA) ≥ 30% from January 2010 to December 2022. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), logistic analysis, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed to evaluate the association between Cr/Alb ratio and 28-day mortality. Integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to estimate the improvements in new model performance.

RESULTS

28-day mortality rate was 13.2% (23/174) in burned patients. Cr/Alb on admission at level of 3.340μmol/g showed the best discrimination between survivors and non-survivors after admission at 28 days. The result of multivariate logistic analysis suggested that age (OR, 1.058 [95%CI 1.016-1.102]; p = 0.006), higher FTSA (OR, 1.036 [95%CI 1.010-1.062]; p = 0.006), and higher level of Cr/Alb ratio (OR, 6.923 [95CI% 1.743-27.498]; p = 0.006) were independently associated with 28 day-mortality. A regression model was constructed by logit(p) = 0.057 *Age + 0.035 *FTBA + 1.935 * Cr/Alb - 6.822. The model showed a better discrimination and risk reclassification compared with ABSI and rBaux score.

CONCLUSIONS

High Cr/Alb ratio at admission is a herald of poor outcome. The model generated from multivariate analysis could serve as an alternative prediction tool among major burned patients.

Serum Creatinine and Amylase in Drain to Predict Pancreatic Fistula Risk after Pancreatoduodenectomy

INTRODUCTION

The identification of patients with low risk of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) and postoperative hemorrhage (PPH) can guide drain removal after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). However, drain fluid amylase (DFA) ≤5,000 U/L on postoperative day (POD) 1 does not robustly predict the absence of CR-POPF.

METHODS

Consecutive patients undergoing PD at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between July 2018 and October 2021 were analyzed. Recursive partitioning analysis was used to classify patients into groups with different risks of CR-POPF and PPH.

RESULTS

Among 288 consecutive patients included, 99 patients (34.38%) developed CR-POPF (86 grade B and 13 grade C). Patients with CR-POPF had increased levels of preoperative creatinine (CRE) and POD1 CRE. The combination of POD1 CRE (>104 μmol/L or not) and POD1 DFA (>5,000 U/L or not) stratified patients into subgroups with the maximum difference in CR-POPF risk. The CR-POPF rates were 17.82% (36/202) in group A (POD1 CRE ≤104 μmol/L and POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L), 53.33% (8/15) in group B (POD1 CRE >104 μmol/L and POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L), and 77.46% (55/71) in group C (POD1 DFA >5,000 U/L). The PPH rates were 1.98% (4/202), 20.00% (3/15), and 19.72% (14/71) in groups A, B, and C, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Patients with POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L and POD1 CRE >104 μmol/L have a high risk of CR-POPF and may not benefit from early drain removal. Patients with POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L and POD1 CRE ≤104 μmol/L have low risk of CR-POPF and PPH.

Albumin and Associated Biomarkers in Severe Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Acute-Phase Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Background

Inflammation is relevant to the pathophysiology of severe neuropsychiatric disorders, schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorders (BD). Multiple pathophysiological biomarkers are valuable for the study of inflammatory processes. This study investigated albumin-related biomarkers in SCZ and BD to explore their roles in disease.

Methods

A total of 5,577 SCZ, 3442 BD-manic (BD-M) and 1405 BD-depression (BD-D) in acute stage and 5000 health controls (HCs) were enrolled. The differences in these biomarker levels among different groups were compared, and the contributing factors for the occurrence of SCZ, BD, and subgroups of BD were analyzed.

Results

Both SCZ and BD exhibit lower prognostic nutritional index (PNI), but higher neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) and creatinine-albumin ratio (CRA) compared with HC. Compared with BD-D, BD-M had higher NPAR and platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) and lower CRA. In logistic regression, lower prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and higher CRA were associated with both SCZ and BD, while higher NPAR was associated with BD. In the subgroup of BD, higher NPAR, CRA and lower PNI were associated with BD-M; lower PAR, PNI and higher CRA were associated with BD-D.

Conclusion

Our study reaffirmed the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of SCZ and BD. Diagnostic value has been demonstrated in NPAR, PAR, PNI and CRA for BD and SCZ.

Interpretations of the Role of Plasma Albumin in Prognostic Indices: A Literature Review

This review assesses how publications interpret factors that influence the serum or plasma albumin (PA) level in prognostic indices, focusing on inflammation and nutrition. On PubMed, a search for "albumin AND prognosis" yielded 23,919 results. From these records, prognostic indices were retrieved, and their names were used as search strings on PubMed. Indices found in 10 or more original research articles were included. The same search strings, restricted to "Review" or "Systematic review", retrieved yielded on the indices. The data comprised the 10 latest original research articles and up to 10 of the latest reviews. Thirty indices had 294 original research articles (6 covering two indices) and 131 reviews, most of which were from recent years. A total of 106 articles related the PA level to inflammation, and 136 related the PA level to nutrition. For the reviews, the equivalent numbers were 54 and 65. In conclusion, more publications mention the PA level as a marker of nutrition rather than inflammation. This is in contrast to several general reviews on albumin and nutritional guidelines, which state that the PA level is a marker of inflammation but not nutrition. Hypoalbuminemia should prompt clinicians to focus on the inflammatory aspects in their patients.

Prognostic value of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio in acute pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common disorder and although most of the cases are mild, the mortality risk is high when it comes to severe AP. It is therefore important to determine the severity of AP as early as possible. This review aimed to determine the prognostic value of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CRP/alb ratio) in patients with AP. Methods: We performed a systematic search on the electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library up to January 2023. Studies reporting CRP/alb ratio on admission and its association with severity or mortality in AP patients were included. We calculated pooled mean difference (MD) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Quality assessment of the included studies was appraised using a Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: A total of six studies comprising 2244 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Severe AP had higher CRP/alb ratio on admission than mild-moderate AP (pooled MD: 3.59; 95% CI: 2.51-4.68; p<0.00001). CRP/alb ratio was also significantly higher on non-survivor AP patients compared to survivor AP patients (pooled MD: 2.12; 95% CI: 0.43-3.8; p < 0.01). Conclusion: High CRP/alb ratio can be used as an early predictor of poor prognosis in patients with AP.

Albumin infusion may decrease the mortality of hypoalbuminemia patients with severe acute pancreatitis: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

At present, the relationship between severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and albumin infusion is not clear. We aimed to identify the impact of serum albumin on the prognosis of SAP and the association between albumin infusions and mortality for hypoalbuminemia patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study that analyzed 1000 patients with SAP who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2010 and December 2021 using data from a prospectively maintained database. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to reveal the relationship between serum albumin within 1 week after admission and poor prognosis of SAP. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was adopted to evaluate the effect of albumin infusion for hypoalbuminemia patients with SAP.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hypoalbuminemia (≤ 30 g/L) was 56.9% within 1 week after admission. Multivariate logistic regression identified that age (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.00-1.04; P = 0.012), serum urea (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.04-1.12; P < 0.001), serum calcium (OR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.14-0.50; P < 0.001), lowest albumin level within 1 week after admission (OR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.89-0.97; P = 0.002), and APACHE II score ≥ 15 (OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.19-2.51; P = 0.004) were independently associated with mortality. The PSM analysis demonstrated that mortality (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.29-0.92, P = 0.023) was less common in albumin-infused than non-albumin-infused hypoalbuminemia patients. In subgroup analyses, doses > 100 g within 1 week after admission for hypoalbuminemia patients with albumin infusions was associated with lower mortality than doses ≤ 100 g (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.28-0.90, P = 0.020).

CONCLUSIONS

Hypoalbuminemia in early-stage SAP is significantly related to poor prognosis. However, albumin infusions could significantly decrease mortality in hypoalbuminemia patients with SAP. Additionally, infusing sufficient albumin within a week after admission may decrease mortality in hypoalbuminemia patients.

Predictive value of the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis

Aim

To investigate the predictive value of C-reactive protein (CRP) to serum albumin (ALB) ratio in the severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis (AP), and compare the predictive value of the CRP/ALB ratio with the Ranson score, modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) score, and Bedside Index of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score.

Methods

This cohort study retrospectively analyzed clinical data of AP patients from August 2018 to August 2020 in our hospital. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to determine the effects of CRP/ALB ratio, Ranson, MCTSI, and BISAP score on severe AP (SAP), pancreatic necrosis, organ failure, and death. The predictive values of CRP/ALB ratio, Ranson, MCTSI, and BISAP score were examined with the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. DeLong test was used to compare the AUCs between CRP/ALB ratio, Ranson, MCTSI, and BISAP score.

Results

Totally, 284 patients were included in this study, of which 35 AP patients (12.32%) developed SAP, 29 (10.21%) organ failure, 30 (10.56%) pancreatic necrosis and 11 (3.87%) died. The result revealed that CRP/ALB ratio on day 2 was associated with SAP [odds ratio (OR): 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32 to 2.29], death (OR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.24 to 2.41), pancreatic necrosis (OR: 1.28, 95%CI: 1.08 to 1.50), and organ failure (OR: 1.43, 95%CI: 1.18 to 1.73) in AP patients. Similarly, CRP/ALB on day 3 was related to a higher risk of SAP (OR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.24 to 1.81), death (OR: 1.8, 95%CI: 1.34 to 2.65), pancreatic necrosis (OR: 1.22, 95%CI: 1.04 to 1.42), and organ failure (OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.04 to 1.41). The predictive value of CRP/ALB ratio for pancreatic necrosis was lower than that of MCTSI, for organ failure was lower than that of Ranson and BISAP, and for death was higher than that of MCTSI.

Conclusion

The CRP/ALB ratio may be a novel but promising, easily measurable, reproducible, non-invasive prognostic score that can be used to predict SAP, death, pancreatic necrosis, and organ failure in AP patients, which can be a supplement of Ranson, MCTSI, and BISAP scores.

Association between albumin or prealbumin levels at different stages and prognosis in severe acute pancreatitis: a 5-year retrospective study

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a common abdominal disorder contributing to high mortality and open laparotomy rates. The role of exogenous infused albumin in fluid resuscitation or continuous therapy has always been an unanswered question. In early stage after onset, SAP patients with higher serum albumin or prealbumin show a better prognosis. In this study, we tried to disclose the linkage between albumin/prealbumin and SAP prognosis and establish a new goal-directed therapy involving albumin and prealbumin. Pearson’s chi-squared test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare the descriptive data between surviving and non-surviving patients. Three days, 4–7 days, 8–14 days and 15–28 days after SAP onset were defined as stages 1–4. The average concentrations of albumin and prealbumin were calculated, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to screen out the best cutoff values associated with poor prognostic outcomes, including laparotomy and failure to survive. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and log-rank tests were used to validate the effect of the cut-off values. A total of 199 admitted patients were enrolled in this study. According to the analysis of the ROC curve, the serum albumin value should be raised to 35, 37, 40 and 42 g/L in the 1–4 stage after onset. Serum prealbumin values should be raised to 108, 180, and 181 g/L in stages 2–4 after onset. The validity of the above data was confirmed by Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Serum albumin and prealbumin levels in the early stage of SAP are significantly relevant to prognosis. Albumin should be infused from the fluid resuscitation stage to continuous therapy in order to reach the targets mentioned above. The increase in prealbumin depends on the early initiation of enteral nutrition and this also helps to ameliorate the prognosis.

Role of serum C-reactive protein (CRP)/Albumin ratio in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort

Acute pancreatitis is a disease with a wide spectrum of severity, complications, and outcome with severe life-threatening complications develop in patients leading to high mortality in severe acute pancreatitis. The rationale of this study is to diagnose the severity of acute pancreatitis using a single test ratio, i.e., CRP/albumin ratio which is a combination of markers for systemic inflammation and nutritional status. All those patients with age group 16–80 years who were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and admitted subsequently to ICU were included. Severe pancreatitis was determined as CT severity score above 7. About 41% patients out of total 225 had severe pancreatitis. CRP/albumin ratio >4.35 had a sensitivity of 87% and accuracy of 76% to predict acute severe pancreatitis. Elevated CRP/albumin ratio was also associated with complications like multi-organ failure OR: 2.31 [1.3–4.2], duodenal thickening OR: 2.25 [1.2–4.2], and ascites OR: 2.90 [1.5–5.6]. Although, the severity of this elevation varied with different age groups, such non-invasive and readily available parameters should be relied upon admission to risk stratify the patients suffering from pancreatitis. CRP/albumin ratio has higher sensitivity and negative predictive value to predict severe pancreatitis than CRP alone and hence give additional advantage as a prognostic marker, although Delong's test to compare AUROC was indifferent (P-value: 0.22).

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There is a need to diagnose the severity of acute pancreatitis using a single test ratio i.e., CRP/albumin ratio.

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CRP/albumin ratio >4.35 had a sensitivity of 87% and accuracy of 76% to predict acute severe pancreatitis.

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Readily available parameters should be relied upon admission to risk stratify the patients suffering from pancreatitis.

Use of the C-Reactive Protein (CRP)/Albumin Ratio as a Severity Tool in Acute Pancreatitis: Systematic Review

Acute pancreatitis is one of the most common conditions with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Different scoring systems are used to gauge the severity of this condition, which, in turn, estimates the complications and mortality rates. With the ever-evolving use of the acute-phase reactant protein, C-reactive protein (CRP), and an abundant circulating protein in plasma, albumin, in daily practice, this study aimed to assess the ratio of CRP and albumin for assessing the severity of acute pancreatitis.

A systematic review of the literature was performed using the keywords CRP albumin ratio and acute pancreatitis in the PubMed and Cochrane databases. Studies reporting the use of the ratio of CRP and albumin in acute pancreatitis as well as the outcomes were included in this analysis. The quality of studies was assessed using the MINORS (methodological index for non-randomized studies) assessment tool. In our review, across these three studies, 956 patients with acute pancreatitis were identified and enrolled in studies that examined the relationship between the CRP/Albumin ratio and the severity of acute pancreatitis.

Overall, a positive correlation was found between the CRP/albumin ratio at admission and the development of subsequent severe acute pancreatitis, increased hospital length of stay, and the higher rate of mortality in these studies.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis

The pancreas is a glandular organ that is responsible for the proper functioning of the digestive and endocrine systems, and therefore, it affects the condition of the entire body. Consequently, it is important to effectively diagnose and treat diseases of this organ. According to clinicians, pancreatitis—a common disease affecting the pancreas—is one of the most complicated and demanding diseases of the abdomen. The classification of pancreatitis is based on clinical, morphologic, and histologic criteria. Medical doctors distinguish, inter alia, acute pancreatitis (AP), the most common causes of which are gallstone migration and alcohol abuse. Effective diagnostic methods and the correct assessment of the severity of acute pancreatitis determine the selection of an appropriate treatment strategy and the prediction of the clinical course of the disease, thus preventing life-threatening complications and organ dysfunction or failure. This review collects and organizes recommendations and guidelines for the management of patients suffering from acute pancreatitis.

Nutritional Support in Patients with Severe Acute Pancreatitis-Current Standards

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) leads to numerous inflammatory and nutritional disturbances. All SAP patients are at a high nutritional risk. It has been proven that proper nutrition significantly reduces mortality rate and the incidence of the infectious complications in SAP patients. According to the literature, early (started within 24–48 h) enteral nutrition (EN) is optimal in most patients. EN protects gut barrier function because it decreases gastrointestinal dysmotility secondary to pancreatic inflammation. Currently, the role of parenteral nutrition (PN) in SAP patients is limited to patients in whom EN is not possible or contraindicated. Early versus delayed EN, nasogastric versus nasojejunal tube for EN, EN versus PN in SAP patients and the role of immunonutrition (IN) in SAP patients are discussed in this review.