Intra-abdominal Pressure Has a Good Predictive Power for 28-Day Mortality: A Prospective Observational Study

Yujian Liang1, Shaohua Tao2, Bin Gu3

  • 1Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|November 16, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in critically ill children predicts mortality, with values above 12.13 mmHg indicating higher risk. Normal IAP ranges from 2.0-13.2 mmHg, unaffected by patient demographics.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • Physiology
  • Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is linked to organ dysfunction in critically ill children.
  • The predictive value of IAP for mortality in this population is not well-established.
  • Normal IAP values in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients require further determination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the predictive value of IAP for 28-day mortality in PICU patients.
  • To establish normal IAP reference ranges for children in the PICU.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study in two tertiary care PICUs.
  • IAP measured via bladder pressure every 8 hours for up to 48 hours.
  • Binary logistic regression and ROC curves analyzed IAP's predictive value for mortality.

Main Results:

  • IAP and lactic acid independently predicted 28-day mortality (HR 1.09 and 3.04, respectively).
  • IAP demonstrated good predictive power for mortality (AUC 0.74), with an optimal cutoff of 12.13 mmHg.
  • Normal IAP values in children without high-risk factors were 7.57 ± 2.85 mmHg (range 1.98-13.16 mmHg).

Conclusions:

  • IAP is a significant predictor of 28-day mortality in PICU children.
  • An IAP cutoff of 12.13 mmHg is proposed for identifying increased mortality risk.
  • The established IAP reference range (2.0-13.2 mmHg) is independent of patient demographics, suggesting its utility in critical illness scoring.