HIPOALBUMINEMIA AL INGRESO COMO FACTOR PREDICTIVO DE MORTALIDAD Y ESTANCIA HOSPITALARIA PROLONGADA EN NEONATOS DE LA UCIN DEL HOSPITAL DR. FRANCISCO DE ICAZA BUSTAMANTE, 2018.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the level of albumin as a predictor of mortality and prolonged hospital stay in infants admitted to the NICU of the Hospital Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante, 2018. Materials and Methods: an observational, cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted. The study sample consisted of neonates admitted to the Intensive Care Unit who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria during the period from January to July 2018. Hypoalbuminemia was defined based on the level of serum albumin according to the days of life of the newborn. Results: A total of 237 patients were selected, of which 58.6% were male. The mean gestational age was 37 ± 2 weeks and the age at admission to NICU was 7 ± 8 days. The main cause of admission was sepsis (42%), followed by Respiratory Distress Syndrome (28.7%). The sample was distributed in two groups, one with normal serum albumin and another with hypoalbuminemia, obtaining an incidence of hypoalbuminemia of 61.6%. Serum albumin showed an average of 3.44 ± 0.38 mg / dl in the first group vs. 2.94 ± 0.50 mg / dl in the second; being 3.13 ± 0.50 mg / dl the average of albumin in the total sample. The hospital stay was 16.9 ± 12.8 days for the 237 neonates, resulting in 13 ± 9 days for the group with normoalbuminemia and 20 ± 14 days for the hypoalbuminemia group. The mortality rate was 15.7%, with 89.5% of the deceased, neonates with hypoalbuminemia. Conclusions: hypoalbuminemia is a prognostic factor of mortality and prolonged hospital stay in neonates of the NICU. The increase in serum albumin is associated with a lower probability of dying, as hypoalbuminemia increases the risk of death by 3.6 times. Hospital stay and serum albumin have an inversely proportional relationship. Albumin only accounts for 9.6% of the total hospital stay, however, the association is statistically significant. For each albumin value that increases, the hospital stay is reduced by 7,693 days.