Evaluating the predictive power of lactate-to-albumin ratio on 30-day mortality among sepsis patients: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The lactate-to-albumin ratio (LAR) is a predictor in sepsis that has been shown to outperform lactate and albumin. However, the role of LAR and mortality in Chinese adult patients with sepsis has not been evaluated. METHODS: This retrospective study aims to probe into the predictive value of the LAR for 30-day mortality in Chinese adult patients with sepsis, comparing its effectiveness to traditional markers such as lactate and albumin. This retrospective cohort study utilized data from Dr. Wang’s study published in PLOS ONE. This data was Dongyang People’s Hospital admitting to the emergency department between June 2013 and September 2021. RESULTS: Among the 1,205 sepsis patients, 1,014 survived, and 191 did not, yielding a 30-day mortality rate of 15.9%. Uni- and multivariate logistics regression model were used. Meanwhile, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the predictive ability of lactate, albumin, and LAR for 30-day mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed that each 1-unit increase in LAR corresponded to a 97% increase in the risk of 30-day mortality, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.97 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.67–2.33, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of LAR 77.68% was obviously superior to albumin 63.72% and lactate 76.32%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings uncover a notable correlation between higher LAR levels and increased 30-day mortality risk in Chinese adult patients with sepsis. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.