Intestinal fatty acid binding protein as a predictor for intra-abdominal pressure-related complications in patients admitted to the intensive care unit; a prospective cohort study (I-Fabulous study)

Purpose: Critically ill patients are at risk for intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and related complications such as organ failure, abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), and death. This study aimed to determine the value of urinary and serum intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) levels as early marker for IAH-associated complications. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in two academic institutional mixed medical-surgical ICUs in the Netherlands. Adult patients admitted to the ICU with two or more risk factors for IAH (198) were included. Urinary and serum I-FABP and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) were measured every six hours during 72 h. Results: Fifteen (8%) patients developed ACS and 74 (37%) developed new organ failure. I-FABP and IAP were positively correlated. Patients who developed ACS had higher median baseline levels of urinary I-FABP (235(P₂₅-P₇₅ 85–1747)μg/g creat) than patients with IAH who did not develop ACS (87(P₂₅-P₇₅ 33–246)μg/g, p = 0.037). With an odds ratio of 1.00, neither urinary nor serum I-FABP indicated increased risk for developing new organ failure or ACS. Conclusions: A relevant diagnostic value of I-FABP levels for identifying individual patients at risk for intra-abdominal pressure related complications could not be demonstrated.