Predictive Value of Serum Albumin Level for the Prognosis of Severe Sepsis Without Exogenous Human Albumin Administration: A Prospective Cohort Study:

Background:The prognostic significance of serum albumin levels in patients with sepsis has previously been reported; however, these studies have not excluded the potential confounding effect of exogenous albumin administration. In this study, we investigate the predictive value of serum albumin for the prognosis of severe sepsis without the interference of exogenous albumin administration.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted from April to November 2014 in the internal and surgical intensive care units of a tertiary care hospital. During the study period, due to a supply shortage, patients were not treated with human albumin. Serum albumin levels were measured, and laboratory and clinical data were collected at the onset of severe sepsis. Prognostic factors were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curve and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method.Results:One hundred sixteen patients were included in the study. The overa...