Serial Serum Albumin Level Estimation as a Prognostic Factor in Sepsis Patients Admitted in Intensive Care Units

Background: The dysregulated host response to infection is the hallmark of the clinical disease known as sepsis. There is a range of severity, from septic shock to sepsis. Mortality rates in shock cases have been shown to range from 10% to 40%, although estimates vary greatly and depend on the group being studied. Finding out whether serum albumin levels and mortality risk are quantitatively connected and examining the impact of serial serum albumin level monitoring as a predictor of mortality and morbidity in sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit are the main objectives of the study. Method: This descriptive study involved 70 sepsis patients hospitalized to the Medicine ICU at Darbhanga Medical College & Hospital in Laheriasarai, Bihar, between September 2020 and February 2021. All of the selected patients received a comprehensive evaluation on the first day following the sepsis diagnosis, and on days three and five, their serum albumin levels were measured. Patients were observed during their hospital stay, and their results—that is, whether they lived or died—were recorded. In order to examine data placed into an MS Excel spreadsheet, statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) version 18 was utilized. Results: The 70 patients selected for the study were divided into two groups: survivors and non-survivors. On day 1, the survivor group's mean serum albumin level was 3.72 g/dl (±0.278), whereas the non-survivor group's was 3.11 g/dl (±0.247). The non-survivor group's mean serum albumin levels on day three were 2.65 g/dl (±0.172), while the survivor groups were 3.17 g/dl (±0.248). The survivor group's mean blood albumin levels on day five were 2.72 g/dl (±0.25), while the non-survivor groups were 2.32 g/dl (±0.144). The difference in mean blood albumin on days 1, 3, and 5 was shown to be statistically significant using an unpaired t test, with a p value ≤0.001. The decline in mean serum albumin level in survivors from day 1to day 5 was 3.72 g/dl to 2.72 g/dl. In non-survivors it is 3.11 g/dl to 2.32 g/dl. Conclusion: This study found a direct correlation between a blood albumin level of less than 3.5 gm/dl on all three days and the prognosis of a sepsis patient. Beginning on day 1, serum albumin levels in both the survivor and non-survivor groups gradually dropped; however, a drop below 3.0 gm/dl was associated with a higher death rate. It suggests that the rate at which serum albumin falls below the normal threshold affects the mortality prognosis of the sepsis patient. Even in settings with little resources, patients with sepsis are at risk of a poor prognosis, and serum albumin measurement is less expensive and can help with clinical evaluation.