Abstract
OBJECTIVES: In this study, we re-evaluated the relationship between pit recovery time (PRT) and serum albumin levels and elucidated the factors influencing PRT. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Patients who visited the outpatient department or were admitted to a small urban hospital in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: 135 adult Japanese patients with bilateral lower extremity pitting oedema. INTERVENTIONS: Primary and secondary outcome measures: this study assessed the correlation between PRT and serum albumin levels, calculated the predictive accuracy for identifying a group with low albumin levels when the PRT of the lower leg was <40 s, and identified variables that influence PRT. RESULTS: We found no significant correlation between lower leg PRT and serum albumin levels. Furthermore, a PRT of <40 s was largely ineffective in predicting low albumin levels. Factors influencing PRT included the diagnosis of malnutrition oedema, examinations conducted during hospitalisation, diagnosis of cardiac oedema, use of diuretics, thickness of the lower limb soft tissue, serum creatinine level, estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), age, serum albumin level, potassium level and blood urea nitrogen to serum creatinine ratio. Notable correlations with PRT were observed in relation to lower limb soft tissue thickness, age and estimated RVSP. CONCLUSIONS: Given that the PRT is influenced by multiple factors, its correlation with serum albumin levels is weak. Thus, predicting hypoalbuminaemia based solely on PRT is inaccurate.