Intra-Abdominal Sepsis in Critically Ill Surgical Patients: the Relationship Between Cumulative Fluid Balance and Serum Sodium and Chloride Levels and In-Hospital Mortality

Data were collected and analyzed from 100 critically ill surgical patients with intra-abdominal sepsis, consecutively admitted to the ICU of a university medical center. Patients were immediately subjected to surgical treatment for intra-abdominal sepsis upon hospital admission. Postoperative care continued in the ICU for at least seven days. Patients who were hospitalized in the ICU for less than seven days, immunocompromised, and patients with intra-abdominal sepsis as a result of previous abdominal surgery were not included in the study. Data related to daily fluid intake and loss were taken from medical records where these data are recorded daily. Intake included both enteral and parenteral, while fluid losses from the body included urine, losses through drains, and nasogastric tube. The cumulative fluid balance was calculated for the periods from days 1 to 3 of treatment, and from days 1 to 7 of treatment. Data on serum sodium and chloride levels were recorded at the same time points as for cumulative fluid balance. The impact of variables on treatment outcomes was determined using binary logistic regression. The predictive quality of the variables on the outcome was assessed using ROC curves.