Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine

Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine

Utility of Serum Urea-to-Albumin Ratio in Predicting Length of Stay in Patients with Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Kotta Niranjan 1
Sujatha Rani A 2
1 Junior Resident, Department of Biochemistry, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India.
2 Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India.
10.22038/jctm.2025.89313.1494
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Serum Urea-to-Albumin Ratio (UAR) as a predictor of prolonged Length of Stay (LOS) in patients admitted with Myocardial Infarction (MI).
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 195 patients admitted with MI. LOS was recorded and categorized as Short Stay (≤6 days) or long stay (>6 days). Statistical analyses included comparative tests, correlation, linear and binary logistic regression, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of patients was 51 years, with 67.7% being male. UAR was significantly higher in the long stay group (median 7) compared to the short stay group (median 5.4) (p<0.001). Spearman correlation showed a significant positive correlation between UAR and LOS (r=0.37, p<0.001). In binary logistic regression, UAR was a significant predictor of long stay (OR 1.2077, 95% CI 1.0947-1.3323, p<0.001). ROC analysis for UAR predicting long stay yielded an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.6648, with an optimal cut-off of 6.4848 (Sensitivity 55.10%, Specificity 72.16%).
Conclusions: The Serum UAR demonstrates a significant association with LOS in MI patients and can be a useful, easily calculated adjunct tool for early risk stratification of MI patients for prolonged LOS.
Keywords
Length of Stay
Myocardial Infarction
Prognostic Marker
Risk Stratification
Serum Urea-to-Albumin Ratio
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Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 1571-1577