24th hour vasoactive inotrope score is associated with poor outcome in adult cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of vasoactive inotrope score at the 24th postoperative hour for mortality and morbidity in elective adult cardiac surgery. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent elective adult coronary artery bypass and valve surgery in a single tertiary center for cardiac surgery between December 2021 and March 2022 were prospectively included. The vasoactive inotrope score was calculated with the dosage of inotropes that were continuing at the 24th postoperative hour. Poor outcome was defined as any event of perioperative mortality or morbidity. RESULTS: The study included 287 patients, of whom 69 (24.0%) were on inotropes at the 24th postoperative hour. The vasoactive inotrope score was higher (21.6±22.5 vs. 0.94±2.7, p=0.001) in patients with poor outcome. One unit increase in the vasoactive inotrope score had an odds ratio of 1.24 (95% confidence interval: 1.14–1.35) for poor outcome. The receiver operating characteristic curve of vasoactive inotrope score for poor outcome had an area under the curve of 0.857. CONCLUSION: Vasoactive inotrope score at the 24th hour can be a very valuable parameter for risk calculation in the early postoperative period.