Key patient characteristics by 90-day survival.

BackgroundThe incidence and mortality of sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) remain persistently high. This study primarily investigates the risk factors associated with the 90-day mortality in sepsis patients.MethodThis retrospective study included 123 sepsis patients admitted to a hospital in China from January 2015 to December 2018, clinical and abdominal CT data were compared between survivors and non-survivors, logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were performed on the abdominal CT data, Finally, survival curves for different skeletal muscle indices were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) method.ResultIn the abdominal CT scan data, significant differences were observed between survivors and non-survivors in skeletal muscle density (SMD), skeletal muscle area (SMA), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and subcutaneous adipose tissue area (SAT); Cox regression analysis revealed that higher skeletal muscle density (SMD) (HR = 0.953; 95% CI = 0.923–0.984; p = 0.003), skeletal muscle area (SMA) (HR = 0.986; 95% CI = 0.976–0.997; p = 0.011), and skeletal muscle index (SMI) (HR = 0.951; 95% CI = 0.917–0.985; p = 0.005) were significantly associated with lower 90-day mortality compared to non-survivors. Finally, the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves demonstrated differences in survival based on the median skeletal muscle index (SMI).ConclusionBody composition parameters assessed by abdominal CT scans are highly associated with 90-day mortality in ICU patients with sepsis. Among them, SMD, SMA, and SMI are valuable prognostic factors.