Statin treatment leads to worse outcome for patients in an intensive care unit

This study was published in Critical Care 2011;15(1):R74

Study title and authors:
Statins do not prevent acute organ failure in ventilated ICU patients: single-centre retrospective cohort study.

Terblanche MJ, Pinto R, Whiteley C, Brett S, Beale R, Adhikari NK.
Critical Care & Anaesthesia Research Group, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK. marius.terblanche@kcl.ac.uk

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21356051

This 15 day study analysed the effects of statins on ventilated intensive care unit patients. The study included 1,397 mechanically ventilated patients without nonrespiratory organ failure within 24 hours after admission. The overall lengths of intensive care unit and hospital stays were five and 15 days, respectively. Patients receiving statins stayed longer in the intensive care unit by three days.

The study found:
(a) Patients taking statins had a 22% increased risk of organ failure compared to patients not taking statins.
(b) Patients taking statins had a 25% increased risk of liver failure compared to patients not taking statins.
(c) Patients taking statins had an 8% increased risk of liver impairment compared to patients not taking statins.
(d) In the intensive care unit setting, patients taking statins had an 0.7% increased risk of death compared to patients not taking statins.
(e) In the hospital setting, patients taking statins had an 19% increased risk of death compared to patients not taking statins.

Statin treatment leads to worse outcomes for patients in an intensive care unit.

Links to other studiers:
Statins increase the risk of liver damage
Statin users have a 26% increased risk of liver function test abnormalities
Acute hepatitis induced by lovastatin