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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1558968

This article is part of the Research Topic Addressing insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia for cardiovascular disease prevention View all 7 articles

Triglyceride-Glucose Index and Prognosis in Non-Diabetic critically ill Patients: data from the eICU Database

Provisionally accepted
Li Xi Li Xi 1Lin Qiujin Lin Qiujin 2Dewen Zhang Dewen Zhang 3Zhenhua Huang Zhenhua Huang 4Yu Jinshi Yu Jinshi 1Zhao Jiaqi Zhao Jiaqi 1Wenzhou Li Wenzhou Li 5*Liu Wei Liu Wei 6*
  • 1 Pharmacy Department, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 2 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Pengpai Memorial Hospital, Shanwei, China
  • 3 Department of Pharmacy, Pengpai Memorial Hospital, Shanwei, China
  • 4 Department of Emergency Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University &Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 5 Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
  • 6 Department of Emergency Medicine, Huangpu People's Hospital, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a marker for insulin resistance (IR) linked to diabetes complications and poor outcomes. Its connection to all-cause mortality in non-diabetic critically ill patients is unknown. This study aims to investigate the TyG index's impact on mortality in this population, evaluating how IR affects their prognosis.Methods: This study is retrospective observational research utilizing data from the eICU Collaborative Research Database. A total of 14,089 non-diabetic critically ill patients were included and categorized into three groups based on the TyG index measured on the first day of admission (T1, T2, T3). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare the 28day mortality rates among the different groups. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relationship between the TyG index and 28-day mortality. Additionally, we conducted sensitivity analyses, subgroup analyses, and interaction analyses to assess the robustness of the results.Results: During the observation period, 730 patients (5.18%) died in the ICU, while 1,178 patients (8.36%) died in the hospital. The 28-day ICU mortality rate and hospital mortality rate significantly increased with higher TyG index values (P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relationship between the TyG index and 28-day mortality.Specifically, Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relationship between the TyG index and 28-day mortality. Furthermore, the analysis showed a nonlinear effect of the TyG index on mortality in non-diabetic critically ill patients, with a critical point at 9.94. While Below 9.94, ICU and hospital mortality rates rose with higher TyG index values. But above 9.94, mortality didn't significantly increase despite further rises in the TyG index. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses confirmed the robustness of these results, and E-value analysis indicated strong resistance to unmeasured confounding factors.The TyG index demonstrates a significant positive correlation with all-cause mortality in non-diabetic critically ill patients, exhibiting a nonlinear relationship.Consequently, the TyG index serves as a crucial tool for identifying high-risk patients, thereby assisting clinicians in formulating more effective monitoring and intervention strategies.

    Keywords: Triglyceride-glucose index, Insulin Resistance, Intensive Care Unit, nondiabetes, All-cause mortality, nonlinear correlation

    Received: 21 Jan 2025; Accepted: 26 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xi, Qiujin, Zhang, Huang, Jinshi, Jiaqi, Li and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Wenzhou Li, Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518133, Guangdong, China
    Liu Wei, Department of Emergency Medicine, Huangpu People's Hospital, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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