Tempo de protrombina como marcador precoce de mortalidade em pacientes admitidos à Unidade de Terapia Intensiva

Abstract

Background: The prothrombin time is a marker of extrinsic pathway of coagulation, which can reflect changes in the microcirculation. The aim of this study was to establish an association between the prothrombin time on admission of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and its prognosis.Methodology: A retrospective study with analysis of 278 patients consecutively admitted to the ICU during the period from 01 January, 2010 to January 31, 2011. Results: There was a slight predominance of females with a mean age of 56.9 ± 20.5 years. The average length of stay was 7.9 ± 7.3 days and mean APACHE II score was 21.9 ± 9 points. Patients with early mortality (less than 48h in ICU) had higher value of prothrombin time, expressed through the INR (2.48 ± 1.9) than survivors (1.4 ± 0.5), p < 0,05. Conclusions: The prothrombin time proved to be significantly higher among patients who died early, suggesting a prognostic marker.