ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether platelet count was associated with mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. METHODS: We analyzed patients with ARDS from Multi-parameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care Database III (MIMIC-III). Platelet count was measured at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The cox proportional hazard model and subgroup analysis were used to determine the relationship between the platelet count and mortality of ARDS, as well as the consistency of its association. The primary outcome of this study was 365-day mortality from the date of ICU admission. RESULT: This study enrolled a total of 395 critically ill patients with ARDS. After adjustment for age, gender and ethnicity, the multivariate cox regression model showed that the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of platelet count <192 × 109 /L and >296 × 109 /L were 2.08 (1.43, 3.04) and 1.35 (0.91, 2.01), respectively, compared with the reference (192-296 ×109 /L). After adjusting for confounding factors, lower platelet count (<192 × 109 /L) was associated with increased mortality (adjusted HR, 1.71; 95% CI 1.06-2.76, p = 0.0284). However, there was no similar trend in the 30-day (adjusted HR,1.02; 95% CI 0.54-1.94) or 90-day (adjusted HR, 1.65; 95% CI 0.94-2.89) mortality. In the subgroup analysis, lower platelet count showed significant interactions with specific populations (p interaction = 0.0413), especially in patients with atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our analysis showed that platelet count is an independent predictor of mortality in critically ill patients with ARDS.