Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as a Predictor of 28-Day Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Alcohol Use...

Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are common attendees of the intensive care unit (ICU). Early assessment of the prognosis for critically ill patients with AUD is conducive for formulating comprehensive treatment measures and improving survival rates. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with AUD.

2,884 patients with AUD were recruited retrospectively. Data from the MIMIC-III database were collected and analyzed. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cutoff value of RDW. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models were used to evaluate prognostic factors.

Of the 2,884 patients, there were 344 nonsurvivors (11.9%). The nonsurvivors had a higher RDW than the survivors (p < 0.001). According to ROC curve analysis, the area under the curve predicted by RDW for 28-day mortality was 0.728 (95% CI, 0.700 to 0.755) and the optimal cutoff value was 15.45% (sensitivity: 67.2%; specificity: 67.3%). Length of stay in ICU, length of stay in hospital, in-hospital mortality, and 28-day mortality in patients with an RDW > 15.45% were significantly higher than in those with an RDW ≤ 15.45% (p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that an RDW > 15.45% was an independent prognostic indicator for 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with AUD (HR = 1.964, 95% CI: 1.429 to 2.698).

High RDW was associated with increased short-term mortality risks in critically ill patients with AUD.