Hypoalbuminemia in Critically Ill Patients With Cancer: Incidence and Mortality

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients with cancer and to describe the relationship of serum albumin levels to mortality. DESIGN: An observational cohort study. There were no interventions. RESULTS: During the study period, 200 patients were eligible for inclusion. A total of 164 (82%) patients had a serum albumin concentration below 35 g/L, of which 91 (55.5%) patients had levels of albumin ≤20 g/L. The mean serum albumin was 18.17 g/L. The crude mortality rate was 22.5%. The highest mortality rate (73%) was seen in the group of patients whose serum albumin levels were <20 g/L. CONCLUSION: The incidence of hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients with cancer admitted to ICU was high.