Does Serum Albumin and Creatinine Predict Survival of Inpatient Palliative Care Patients?

Abstract

Introduction: Low creatinine and albumin are found among the chronically ill patients. This study retrospectively reviewed albumin and creatinine levels for survival in patients upon admission. Methods: Records of patients admitted over 2 months were reviewed. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) identified cutpoints in albumin and creatinine that predicted survival. Kaplan-Meier survival, Cox proportional hazards, and stepwise Cox analyses identified prognostic factors. Results: Of 83 patients, 81 were assessable. Variables for worse survival were albumin <3.1 g/dL, creatinine >0.93 mg/dL, and male gender. Albumin by continuous, median, RPA, and tertiles was significant; creatinine by RPA. Hazard ratio for albumin >3.1 was 0.28 ( P < .001) and for creatinine >0.91 mg/dL was 1.8 ( P = .046). Discussion and Conclusion: Albumin and creatinine are prognostically important.