Stress hyperglycemia is associated with poor outcome in critically ill patients with pulmonary hypertension

Stress hyperglycemia is common in critically ill patients and is associated with poor prognosis. Whether this association exists in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients is unknown. The present cohort study investigated the association of stress hyperglycemia with 90-day all-cause mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with PH.

Data of the study population were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. A new index, the ratio of admission glucose to HbA1c (GAR), was used to evaluate stress hyperglycemia. The study population was divided into groups according to GAR quartiles (Q1-Q4). The outcome of interest was all-cause mortality within 90 days, which was considered a short-term prognosis.

A total of 53,569 patients were screened. Ultimately, 414 PH patients were enrolled; 44.2% were male, and 23.2% were admitted to the cardiac ICU. As the GAR increased from Q2 to Q4, the groups had lower creatinine levels, longer ICU stays, and a higher proportion of renal disease. After adjusting for confounding factors such as demographics, vital signs, and comorbidities, an elevated GAR was associated with an increased risk of 90-day mortality.

Stress hyperglycemia assessed by the GAR was associated with increased 90-day mortality in ICU patients with PH.