Quadratic function between arterial partial oxygen pressure and mortality risk in sepsis patients: an interaction with simplified acute physiology score

Oxygen therapy is widely used in emergency and critical care settings, while there is little evidence on its real therapeutic effect. The study aimed to explore the impact of arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) on clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis. A large clinical database was employed for the study. Subjects meeting the diagnostic criteria of sepsis were eligible for the study. All measurements of PaO2 were extracted. The primary endpoint was death from any causes during hospital stay. Survey data analysis was performed by using individual ICU admission as the primary sampling unit. Quadratic function was assumed for PaO2 and its interaction with other covariates were explored. A total of 199,125 PaO2 samples were identified for 11,002 ICU admissions. Each ICU stay comprised 18 PaO2 samples in average. The fitted multivariable model supported our hypothesis that the effect of PaO2 on mortality risk was in quadratic form. There was significant interaction between PaO2 and SAPS-I (p = 0.007). Furthermore, the main effect of PaO2 on SOFA score was nonlinear. The study shows that the effect of PaO2 on mortality risk is in quadratic function form, and there is significant interaction between PaO2 and severity of illness.