Red cell distribution width and in-hospital mortality in septic shock: A public database research

Int J Lab Hematol. 2022 Oct;44(5):861-867. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.13925. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between red cell distribution width (RDW) and in-hospital mortality in septic shock based on a large-scale public database.

Methods: All patients with septic shock in MIMIC-IV were enrolled. Based on RDW values, the general characteristics of different groups were compared. Different models were constructed for exploring the association of RDW and in-hospital mortality. To assess the predictive value of RDW, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied.

Results: A total of 3006 patients with septic shock were included and in-hospital mortality was 32.27% (n = 970). The results of the fully adjusted model demonstrated that RDW was positively associated with in-hospital mortality in septic shock patients after adjusting all confounders (OR = 1.12, 95% CI:1.08-1.17, p < .001). A linear relationship between RDW and in-hospital mortality was found. For predicting in-hospital mortality, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of RDW was .602 and the best threshold of RDW was 17.25%.

Conclusion: RDW was associated with in-hospital mortality in septic shock. It could be a useful marker for predicting clinical outcomes in septic shock.

Keywords: MIMIC-IV; RDW; inflammation; mortality; septic shock.

MeSH terms

  • Erythrocyte Indices
  • Hospital Mortality
  • Humans
  • Prognosis
  • ROC Curve
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Shock, Septic*