# Triglyceride glucose index and mortality in tracheally intubated patients: a MIMIC-IV retrospective cohort study

## TL;DR

This study finds that higher triglyceride glucose (TyG) levels are linked to increased mortality risk in ICU patients who have been tracheally intubated.

## Contribution

The study introduces the TyG index as a novel predictor of mortality in intubated ICU patients using a large clinical database.

## Key findings

- High TyG levels significantly correlate with increased ICU and in-hospital mortality risk.
- The association between TyG levels and in-hospital mortality is nonlinear, with levels ≥9.2 showing a significant increase in risk.
- TyG index could serve as a simple indicator for early prevention or intervention in intubated ICU patients.

## Abstract

Tracheal intubation is crucial in ICU treatment but poses risks of complications and mortality. Simple and effective indicators for assessing mortality risk in intubated ICU patients are needed. This study analyzed 5,915 intubated ICU patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care 3.0 database. Multivariable Cox regression and two-stage linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index levels and ICU and in-hospital mortality rates. High TyG levels significantly correlated with increased mortality risk (HR range 1.34–1.44, p < 0.01). The association was linear with ICU mortality but nonlinear with in-hospital mortality. TyG levels ≥9.2 significantly increased in-hospital mortality risk (HR: 1.277, 95% CI: 1.114–1.464, p < 0.001). Higher TyG indices were associated with a higher risk of ICU and in-hospital mortality, emphasizing the importance of these findings for early prevention or timely intervention in intubated ICU patients.