Abstract
BACKGROUND: The TyG index is widely recognized as a reliable indicator for cardiovascular disease risk and as a biomarker for assessing insulin resistance(IR). However, its significance in the context of patients with acute pancreatitis(AP) needs further exploration. This study aimed to investigate the association between the TyG index and the risk of all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with AP. METHODS: Data for this retrospective study were obtained from the MIMIC IV2.2 database. The participants were divided into four groups based on the TyG index tertiles. The primary outcome measured was in-hospital all-cause mortality. We employed Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and restricted cubic splines to evaluate the correlation between the TyG index and clinical outcomes in patients with AP. RESULTS: The study included 586 patients, of which 44.71% were male. The rates of mortality observed in the hospital stay and in the ICU stay were 19.28% and 12.97%. By conducting multivariable Cox proportional hazards, it was determined that the TyG index was independently associated with a heightened risk of in-hospital mortality [HR(95%CI) of 1.38(1.03-1.87, P=0.033)] and in ICU mortality [1.65(1.12-2.44), P=0.012]. The analysis using restricted cubic splines showed that there was a consistent and gradually increasing risk of all-cause mortality as the TyG index increased. This indicates that a higher TyG index is associated with a higher risk of mortality. CONCLUSION: In critically ill patients with AP, the TyG index shows a notable correlation with all-cause death in both hospital and ICU. The TyG index can be useful in identifying insulin resistance at an early stage in patients with AP, thereby improving risk assessment and guiding subsequent interventions.