Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of lactate-to-albumin ratio (LAR) with 30-day and 90-day mortality in patients with cerebral infarction admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, 1,089 patients with cerebral infarction were recruited. The concentration of blood lactate and serum albumin on the first day of ICU admission were recorded. The relationship between LAR levels and mortality was evaluated through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, four-knot multivariate restricted cubic spline regression, and Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves. RESULTS: The overall 30-day and 90-day mortality rates in the entire cohort were 27.3 and 35.8%, respectively. KM analysis revealed a significant relationship between high LAR index and the risk of all-cause mortality (log-rank p < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate Cox proportional risk analysis showed that the LAR index independently predicted the risk of 30-day mortality (HR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.15-1.64, p = 0.004) and 90-day mortality (HR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.32-1.77, p < 0.001) in the study population. Furthermore, a higher LAR exceeding 0.53 was positively correlated with the risk of 30-day and 90-day mortalities. Subsequent subgroup analyses demonstrated that LAR could predict the primary outcome. CONCLUSION: In summary, the LAR index is a reliable and independent predictor of increased mortality among critically ill patients suffering from cerebral infarction. Nonetheless, there is a need for additional comprehensive prospective studies to validate these findings.