The role of the prognostic nutritional index in predicting mortality in stroke patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the prognostic nutritional index in predicting in-hospital mortality among patients with acute ischemic stroke.

This retrospective, observational study included patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke at the emergency department of the hospital between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2023. Demographic data, vital parameters, comorbidities, stroke interventions, and laboratory data were collected from electronic medical records. Prognostic nutritional index was calculated using serum albumin levels and a total lymphocyte count. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

The study included 176 patients, divided into survivor (93.2%, n=164) and deceased (6.8%, n=12) groups. No significant differences were observed in age, gender, blood pressure, heart rate, or body temperature between the groups. Atrial fibrillation was significantly more common in the deceased group (50%) compared to the survivor group (18.9%) (p=0.011). The median lymphocyte count was significantly higher in the survivor group (1,353 [interquartile range, IQR 984-1,968]/mm³) compared to the deceased group (660 [IQR 462-1,188]/mm³) (p=0.009). The median albumin level was significantly lower in the deceased group (3.31 [IQR 2.67-3.4] g/dL) compared to the survivor group (3.74 [IQR 3.39-4.21] g/dL) (p<0.001). The median prognostic nutritional index was significantly higher in the survivor group (46.05 [IQR 39.1-51.3]) compared to the deceased group (36.7 [IQR 28.7-40.5]) (p<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic for prognostic nutritional index predicting mortality was 0.791 (95%CI 0.723-0.848) (p=0.0002), with a cut-off value of ≤41.92 providing the highest diagnostic accuracy.

Prognostic nutritional index is a valuable prognostic indicator for in-hospital mortality in acute ischemic stroke patients. Low prognostic nutritional index values are associated with increased mortality risk. Incorporating prognostic nutritional index into clinical practice may aid in the early identification of high-risk patients and the optimization of treatment strategies. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the broader clinical applications of prognostic nutritional index.