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Table 3 Summary of the incidence and the overall mortality associated with increased bilirubin in ICU patients as reported in the literature

From: Critical care hepatology: definitions, incidence, prognosis and role of liver failure in critically ill patients

Study

Year

Bilirubin cutoff (mg/dl)

Population

Sample size

Incidence %

Mortality %

OR

95% CI

p

Liver dysfunction/cholestasis

Harbrecht [80]

2002

2

Trauma

2857

7.6

17.0

3.25

1.42–7.45

0.005

Krammer [56]

2007

2

ICU

38,036

10.9

23.4

1.86

1.71–2.03

 < 0.001

1–2

19.3

21.3

1.24

1.14–1.34

 < 0.001

2–3

5.4

26.7

1.494

1.31–1.70

 < 0.001

3–6

4.3

33.3

2.228

1.94–2.55

 < 0.001

6–10

1.5

38.5

2.604

2.10–3.23

 < 0.001

 > 10

1.0

46.8

3.991

3.10–5.13

 < 0.001

Jäger [76]

2012

3

Hypoxic liver injury

175

36.0

64.0

2.195**

1.17–4.12

0.014

Bingold [17]

2015

1.2

ICU

23,795

19.0

N.d

1.335

1.22–1.47

 < 0.001

Dizier [84]

2015

2

ARDS

805

17.6

52.1

1.43

1.28–1.61

 < 0.001

Guo [126]

2015

2*

Intra-abdominal infection

353

41.6

38.8

8.185

3.36–19.94

 < 0.001

Diab [79]

2017

1.2

Infective endocarditis

285

23.9

51.5

5.00

2.48–10.06

 < 0.001

Salojee [81]

2017

2

Trauma

225

21.3

31.3

Not significant

Pierrakos [117]

2017

1.1–2.0

Infection

8973

16.9

29

1.38

1.18–1.62

 < 0.001

2.1–6.0

7.8

40

1.71

1.38–2.12

 < 0.001

 > 6

6.5

31

1.54

1.20–1.97

 < 0.001

Han [116]

2021

12–15

Extreme hyperbilirubinemia (≥ 12 mg/dl)

1946

5.7

62.2

Control

Control

Control

15–20

5.1

71.7

1.543

0.76–3.14

 < 0.001

20–30

6.7

81.7

2.714

1.33–5.55

 < 0.001

 ≥ 30

0.4

90.7

5.935

2.17–16.20

 < 0.001

Bisbal [83]

2021

2

Hematologic malignancy

893

20.7

45.4

2.26

1.62–3.14

 < 0.001

Juschten [82]

2022

2***

Sepsis

4836

11.6

34.0

1.31

1.06–1.60

0.018

Hypoxic liver injury

Fuhrmann [77]

2011

 > 20-fold TA

ICU

1066

11.1

57.0

4.62

3.63–5.86

 < 0.001

Champigneulle [127]

2016

 > 20-fold TA

Out of hospital CA

632

11.4

86.1

4.39

1.71–11.26

 < 0.01

Jung [128]

2017

 > 20-fold TA

Cardiogenic shock

172

18.0

68.0

2.52

1.30–4.90

 < 0.001

Iesu [129]

2018

 > 20-fold TA

Resuscitated after CA

374

7.2

89.0

16.28****

2.62–81.34

0.003

Van den broecke [70]

2018

 > 5 AST

ICU

1116

1.3

33.2

Not documented

 > 10 AST

0.9

44.4

 > 20 AST

1.5

55.4

Jonsdottir [69]

2022

 > tenfold TA

ICU

159

1.6

53%

Not documented

  1. OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval, ICU intensive care unit, ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome, N.d not documented, TA transaminases, AST aspartate aminotransferase, CA cardiac arrest
  2. *Increase of 2 mg/dl from baseline
  3. **OR for complications, not for mortality
  4. ***Within the first 2 days after ICU admission
  5. ****OR for unfavorable neurological outcome, not for mortality