A combination of oxygenation and driving pressure can provide valuable information in predicting the risk of mortality in ARDS patients

Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common life-threatening condition in critically ill patients. Itis also an important public health issue because it can cause substantial mortality and health care burden worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate therisk factors that impact ARDS mortality in a medical center in Taiwan. Methods This was a single center, observational study thatretrospectively analyzed data from adults in 6 intensive care units (ICUs) at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan from 1^st October, 2018to30^th September, 2019. Patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation and meeting the Berlin definition criteria were included for analysis. Results A total of 1, 778 subjects were screened in 6 adult ICUs and 370 patients fulfilled the criteria of ARDS in the first 24 hours of the ICU admission. Among these patients, the prevalenceof ARDS was 20.8% and the overall hospital mortality rate was 42.2%. The mortality rates of mild, moderate and severe ARDS were 35.9%, 43.9% and 46.5%, respectively. In a multivariate logistic regression model, combination of driving pressure (DP) > 14cmH₂O and oxygenation (P/F ratio)≤150 was an independent predictor of mortality (OR2.497, 95% CI 1.201-5.191, p = 0.014). Patients with worse oxygenation and a higher driving pressure had the highest hospital mortality rate(p<0.0001). Conclusions ARDS is common in ICUs and the mortality rate remains high. Combining oxygenation and respiratory mechanics may better predict the outcomes of these ARDS patients.