Impact of Early Fluid Balance on 1-Year Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Cancer: A Retrospective Study in Central Taiwan

Abstract

A positive fluid balance has been found to be deleterious in critically ill patients; however, the impact of early fluid balance, particularly on long-term outcomes, in critically ill patients with cancer remains unclear. We performed this retrospective study at a tertiary-care referral hospital with 1500 beds and 6 intensive care units (ICUs) in central Taiwan, and 942 patients with cancer admitted to ICUs during 2013 to 2016 were enrolled. The primary outcome was 1-year mortality. Cancer-related data were obtained from the cancer registry, and data during ICU admissions were retrieved from the electronic medical records. The association between fluid balance, which was represented by median and interquartile range, and 1-year mortality was determined by calculating the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model. The in-hospital mortality rate was 22.9% (216 of 942), and the mortality within 1 year after the index ICU admission was 38.7% (365 of 942). Compared to survivors, nonsurvivors tended to have a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (24.1 ± 6.9 vs 20.5 ± 6.2, P