Association Between Preoperative Red Cell Distribution Width-to-hemoglobin Concentration Ratio and Postoperative Mortality in Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients.

OBJECTIVE

Red cell distribution width (RDW) and hemoglobin concentration are essential parameters in a complete blood count. Both parameters are associated with various outcomes in patients with cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, and those undergoing cardiac surgery. This study was designed to evaluate the association between the RDW-to-hemoglobin concentration ratio (RHR) and prognosis in adult patients undergoing scheduled cardiac surgery.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study.

SETTING

The study encompassed all elective cardiac surgeries conducted under general anesthesia in patients aged 20 years or older between January 1, 2014, and September 30, 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 293 adult patients undergoing scheduled cardiac surgery were analyzed.

INTERVENTIONS: All patient data were retrospectively collected from the institution's electronic medical records and anesthetic charts.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the areas under the curve for 30-day and 1-year postoperative mortality were 0.82 and 0.77, respectively, with a shared cutoff value of 1.38. In the high RHR group, the odds ratios were 5.98 (95% confidence interval: 1.68-21.93) for 30-day postoperative mortality, and 7.12 (95% confidence interval: 3.08-16.50) for 1-year postoperative mortality.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative RHR is a biomarker associated with 30-day and 1-year postoperative mortality as well as postoperative complications in patients undergoing scheduled cardiac surgery.