Background:

Pulse pressure is a hemodynamic variable easily measured in the intensive care unit.

Objective:

To investigate whether pulse pressure is an independent risk factor for mortality in intensive care unit patients.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was carried out in Brazil. Data were collected from medical records of patients admitted to intensive care units from September to December 2012. Pulse pressure was calculated from systolic and diastolic blood pressures recorded during the first 24 hours of stay.

Results:

Records of 529 patients (mean [standard deviation] age 55.0 [17.3] years; 54.4% male, 45.6% female) were analyzed. Risk factors for mortality were age, use of vasoactive drugs, nursing workload, and length of stay in the intensive care unit. Analysis indicated that higher minimum pulse pressures were associated with lower mortality risk.

Conclusion:

Pulse pressure was not found to be an independent risk factor for mortality in patients who are critically ill.

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