Association between triglyceride-glucose index and all cause mortality in critically ill patients with heart failure

The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is regarded as a surrogate marker of systemic insulin resistance (IR). Studies have substantiated the impact of IR on cardiovascular diseases. Nonetheless, the prognostic value of the TyG index in critical patients with heart failure (HF) with intensive care unit (ICU) admission remains unclear. This study aims to assess the association between the TyG index and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with HF. Patients with HF requiring ICU admission were identified from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database and subsequently stratified into quartiles based on their TyG index. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality. The relationship between the TyG index and all-cause mortality in HF patients was analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines. A total of 1220 patients (62.4% men) were enrolled, with a mean age of 70.6 years. The 30-day and one-year all-cause mortality rate were 15.7% and 34.6%, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that TyG index was significantly associated with an elevated risk of 30-day all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.360; 95% CI, 1.093–1.694; P = 0.006), but not with one-year mortality (adjusted HR 1.046; 95% CI 0.895–1.222, P = 0.574). Restricted cubic splines showed a progressively increasing risk of 30-day mortality was linearly related to an elevated TyG index. Subgroup analyses indicated a more prominent association between TyG index and 30-day mortality in patients with age ≤ 65, female or BMI > 30 kg/m². In critically ill patients with HF, the TyG index is significantly associated with short-term all-cause mortality. Our results highlight that the TyG index can be useful in identifying HF patients at high risk of all-cause mortality and require close follow-up after discharge.