The following is a summary of “Association between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and In-Hospital Mortality among Congestive Heart Failure Patients with Diabetes among Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study,” published in the July 2024 issue of Critical Care by Zhang et al.

An enormously high risk of mortality in individuals with congestive heart failure (CHF), which is associated with elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels. Furthermore, heart failure (HF) is in close contact with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the association between RDW and in-hospital mortality in the ICU among patients with CHF and DM. 

They assessed the data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. The RDW was assessed as continuous and categorical variables. The association between RDW and in-hospital mortality was observed by multivariable logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline analysis, and subgroup analysis. 

The results showed 7,063 patients with DM and CHF (3,135 females and 3,928 males). An association between a 9% increase in mortality rate and a 1 g/L increase in RDW level was observed (OR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05∼1.13), which was associated with 11 and 58% increases in mortality rates in Q2 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.87∼1.43) and Q3 (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.22∼2.04), respectively, compared with that in Q1. A significant linear association between RDW and in-hospital mortality was also observed. 

They concluded a positive association between RDW and in-hospital mortality in patients with DM and CHF.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2024/9562200