Low albumin level in the emergency department: a potential independent predictor of delayed mortality in blunt trauma.

Albumin is an abundant plasma protein with multiple physiologic functions, and low serum albumin levels have been associated with increased mortality in hospitalized patients. In a retrospective matched-pair study, we investigated whether emergency department (ED) albumin levels predict delayed mortality for patients initially stabilized after blunt trauma. Fifty-one hospital non-survivors who died more than 24 h after admission to a trauma center ED were matched by Injury Severity Score, type and location of injury, age, and gender with 51 survivors. All patients had serum albumin levels determined upon arrival in the ED. The non-survivors had a significantly lower admission albumin of 3.1 g/dL compared to 3.5 g/dL for survivors. Patients with albumin levels < 3.4 g/dL were 2.5 times more likely to die compared to patients with normal albumin levels. These preliminary results indicate that initial hypoalbuminemia in blunt trauma patients is an independent predictor of delayed mortality, suggesting that these patients require continued clinical vigilance and an aggressive search for evolving complications.