Clinical Characteristics of Aortic Aneurysm in MIMIC-III

Aortic aneurysm (AA) is an aortic disorder prone to sudden, life-threatening aortic dissection or rupture, with poor clinical outcomes. In this study, we aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of AA in MIMIC-III to explore implications for management.

All patients with AA, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), in the MIMIC-III database were included. Clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed and compared in AAA and TAA.

A total of 345 patients, including 183 patients with AAA and 162 patients with TAA, were enrolled in this study. The in-hospital mortality in AAA and TAA groups was 6.01% and 3.7%, respectively. In the nonsurvivor groups in both AAA and TAA, patients were older, and the incidence of surgery was lower. In the nonsurvivor group of AAA, the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea nitrogen, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase, anion gap, and lactate were significantly higher in the nonsurvivor group, whereas the level of albumin was lower. In the nonsurvivor group of TAA, the level of LDH significantly increased and the level of albumin decreased. In the nonsurgery group, in-hospital mortality was higher, and patients were older, with higher levels of glucose, total bilirubin, urea nitrogen, and creatinine and longer length of stay in ICU and hospital.

Age, surgery, albumin, and LDH showed significant differences between survivor and nonsurvivor groups in both AAA and TAA. In the nonsurgery group, the mean age was older and disease severity was worse, with poorer clinical outcomes. Older AA patients without surgery and with lower levels of albumin and higher levels of LDH had higher risk of in-hospital mortality.