Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study
Associations between admission C-reactive protein and in-hospital mortality amongst patients with cardiogenic shock
- multicentre, nationally representative database
- Inverse probability weighting (IPW)
Authors' conclusion
In patients with cardiogenic shock, a readily available biomarker, elevated CRP was associated with higher in-hospital mortality.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with a discharge diagnosis of cardiogenic shock from 2015 to 2023 who had C-reactive protein (CRP) measured within 2 days of hospital admission; patients with sepsis were excludedpatients identified
- Participants
- 26,525 adults
- Exposure
- C-reactive protein was analysed in tertiles
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
In-hospital mortality
tertile 1
28.7
%
tertile 2
32.7
%
tertile 3
42.3%
Odds ratio (95% CI)P value
each 50-unit increase in CRPper 50-unit increase in CRP
1.19(1.16–1.21)
P < 0.001Each 50-unit increase in CRP, as printed
Absolute mortality risk difference (95% CI)P value
tertile 2 vs tertile 1higher with tertile 2; after IPW
3.9%(2.4–5.3%)
P < 0.001tertile 3 vs tertile 1higher with tertile 3; after IPW
12.4%(10.9–13.9%)
P < 0.001Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Sensitivity analyses
- Findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses restricted to Day 1 CRP measurement, primary diagnoses of heart failure or myocardial infarction, and among patients requiring early mechanical circulatory support
- P < 0.05
Intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay; total cost
- The median ICU and hospital stay increased significantly across tertiles
- P < 0.001
- total cost was not statistically different
CRP
- median (interquartile ranges) CRP
- 18.4 mg/L (5.0-67.0 mg/L)
Original publication
Associations between admission C-reactive protein and in-hospital mortality amongst patients with cardiogenic shock. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 15 June 2026. doi:10.1093/ehjacc/zuag083
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it