Study Shows IVIG Is Associated with Sepsis Mortality

A study published in Frontiers in Immunology has found the administration of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) is associated with a reduction in sepsis mortality and favorable outcomes in laboratory parameters and the functional status, contributing to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of IVIG for sepsis.

The retrospective cohort study used the inpatient claims database provided by Medical Data Vision, which included approximately 190,000 episodes of intensive care unit admissions in Japanese acute care hospitals between April 2008 and September 2021. A propensity score-matched analysis compared outcomes between the IVIG and control groups. Primary outcomes were 28-day mortality, while secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, the Barthel Index at discharge, length of hospital stay and laboratory data (albumin, C-reactive protein [CRP] and lymphocyte count) on days 14 and 28. 

Results of the 17,626 patients enrolled, 15,159 (786 in the IVIG group and 14,373 in the control group) were included in the analysis. Propensity score matching generated 758 matched pairs. Before matching, 28-day mortality and in-hospital mortality were lower in the control group; however, in the matched cohort, 28-day mortality was significantly lower in the IVIG group than in the control group (90/758 [11.9 percent] versus 124/758 [16.4 percent]). In-hospital mortality in the matched cohort was also significantly more favorable in the IVIG group (137/758 [18.1 percent] versus 177/758 [23.4 percent]). Favorable outcomes in terms of albumin on days 14 and 28 and CRP levels on day 28 were observed in the IVIG group.

According to the researchers, the results suggest the benefit of IVIG, particularly in mitigating PICS. However, they said further research, including prospective studies, is warranted to confirm these results and examine long-term outcomes.