Association between admission hypomagnesemia mortality or mortality of critically ill patients in intensive care unit

Introduction: Up to now there is no study evaluating correlation between serum
magnesium and morbidity or mortality in patients admitted in intensive care unit.
The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in
critically ill patients and to evaluate its association with organ dysfunction,
hospitalization period and mortality.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective trial including 100 patients aged 16 years
and above admitted to the medico-surgical intensive care unit over 2 years.
Firstly, total serum magnesium was determined and then its correlation with
ventilator need, duration of mechanical ventilation, hospitalization period, and
demographic characteristics were evaluated.
Results: At the time of admission, 51% and 49% of the patients showed
hypomagnesia and normomagnesia, respectively. Significant difference was
observed in mortality rate, hospitalization period, or hospitalization in intensive
care unit between the two groups (P<0.05, each). Hypocalcemia, hypokalemia,
and hyponatremia were frequently observed in hypomagnesemic patients. The
patients with hypomagnesemia in intensive care unit demonstrated higher Acute
Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-2) and Sequential
Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores at time of admission (P<0.01), a
higher maximum SOFA score during hospitalization in intensive care unit,
higher requirement to ventilator, and longer duration to mechanical ventilation
than the other patients. The ROC curve of SOFA score in the hypomanesemia
generated significant results compared to APACHE-2. An increase of 5 units in
the APACHE-2 or SOFA measured during admission increased relative
probability of hypomagnesemia by 0.12 and 0.16, respectively.
Conclusion: Hypomagnesemia during hospitalization in intensive care unit was
associated with a poor prognosis. Monitoring of serum magnesium may have
prognostic and therapeutic implications.