Serum Albumin level: A Predictive factor for prognosis of patients with Abdominal & Chest trauma

Background. Albumin, as the most abundant protein in human blood, is considered an important factor regulating plasma volume and tissue fluid balance. Albumin levels have been shown to be correlated with patient outcomes in various clinical conditions. Subsequently, in the current study, the correlation between albumin levels and the outcome of patients with abdominal and chest trauma was investigated as a prognostic factor. Methods. In the present cross-sectional study, the complete dataset of 111 patients, comprising 52 cases of chest trauma and 59 cases of abdominal trauma, who were admitted to Imam Reza Hospital (Tabriz, Iran) from March 2018 to February 2019, were meticulously documented through a comprehensive census. Subsequently, the primary and secondary levels of serum albumin, along with its correlation with the organ dysfunction (OD) intensity and revised trauma score (RTS), and the outcomes of the disease, were examined in these patients. Results. The obtained results showed that the primary and secondary albumin levels were significantly correlated with OD intensity (P= 0.017 and P<0.0001, respectively) and disease outcome (P = 0.020 and P = 0.001, respectively) in patients with abdominal trauma. However, only the secondary levels of albumin were significantly (P= 0.001) correlated with RTS in these patients. Additionally, in case of chest trauma, despite no significant correlation with RTS, there was a significant relationship between the primary albumin levels, OD intensity (P= 0.015), and patient’s prognosis (P= 0.002). Furthermore, the secondary albumin levels also showed a significant correlation only with OD intensity (P= 0.035). Conclusion. The findings of this study suggested that serum albumin level is a good prognostic factor for abdominal and chest traumas and it could be helpful in better management of these diseases. Practical Implications. Serum albumin levels can be used as a good prognostic factor to predict abdominal and chest trauma.