Association between the triglyceride glucose index and short-term mortality in septic patients with or without obesity: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background Sepsis is a significant contributor to both intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality among patients in ICU, with a rising prevalence of obesity. There is a lack of extensive research on the correlation between TyGI and findings in patients with sepsis, especially in obese patients.Methods This study used a retrospective cohort design and included patients with sepsis (≥18 years) from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. The association between TyGI and outcome was examined using multivariable logistic regression analysis.Results 8,840 patients with sepsis were included in the analysis. The in-ICU mortality rate was 9.7%. Non-survivors exhibited significantly greater TyGI levels than survivors [9.19(8.76–9.71) vs. 9.10(8.67–9.54), p < 0.001]. The adjusted multivariate regression model showed that elevated TyGI values were linked to a greater likelihood of death in ICU (odds ratio [OR] range 1.072–1.793, p < 0.001) and hospital (OR range 1.068–1.445, p = 0.005). Restricted Cubic Spline analysis revealed a nonlinear association between TyGI and in-ICU and in-hospital mortality risks within specified ranges. Subgroup analysis revealed interaction effects in the general obesity, abdominal obesity, and impaired fasting glucose subgroups (p = 0.014, 0.016, and < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion TyGI was associated with an increased sepsis-related short-term mortality risk and adverse outcomes after ICU admission.

Keywords

• Triglyceride-glucose index
• sepsis
• short-term mortality
• metabolic syndrome
• obesity paradox