Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This research investigates the correlation between red cell distribution width (RDW) and clinical outcomes in individuals suffering from sepsis due to Escherichia coli infections. METHODS: This study analyzed sepsis patients associated with Escherichia coli using the MIMIC-IV database. Various logistic regression models including non-adjusted model, Model I (adjusted for age and gender) and Model II (adjusted for including gender, age, vital signs, laboratory variables and comorbidities) were developed to assess the relationship between RDW and mortality rates at 60 days, 90 days, 180 days, and 1 year. The primary objective was to investigate the correlation between RDW and clinical outcomes in septic patients with Escherichia coli infections. Furthermore, the application of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated significant predictive capability in this analysis. RESULTS: A total of 420 patients diagnosed with sepsis due to Escherichia coli infection were analyzed. The observed mortality rates at 60 days, 90 days, 180 days, and 1 year were 12.14%, 13.57%, 15.24%, and 16.67%, respectively. After adjusting for all confounding variables, with per unit increasement in RDW, the risk for 60 days mortality increased by 27% (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.06-1.52, P = 0.0086), the risk for 90 days mortality increased by 31% (OR = 1.31,95% CI 1.10-1.56, P = 0.0024), the risk for 180 days mortality increased by 38% (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.16-1.64, P = 0.0002), and the risk for 1 year mortality increased by 37% (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.62, P = 0.0003). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for mortality was found to be 0.652 at 60 days, 0.676 at 90 days, 0.671 at 180 days, and 0.674 at 1 year. CONCLUSION: RDW can predict the clinical outcomes of patients with sepsis caused by Escherichia coli infection.