Increasing serum ammonia level is a risk factor for the prognosis of critically ill patients: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Abstract Purpose To assess the association between serum ammonia level upon admission during the initial intensive care unit (ICU) stay and mortality. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study included 2703 adult patients in eICU Collaborative Research Database. The ICU mortality within ammonia deciles were assessed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the relationship between ammonia and mortality. Results We defined three ammonia categories: Conclusions Elevated serum ammonia level in critically ill patients upon admission was an early risk factor for higher ICU and in-hospital mortality.