Associations of propofol and midazolam with the 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis-associated encephalopathy: A study of the MIMIC database

Propofol and midazolam have been widely used in patients with sepsis. However, the effectiveness of these drugs in reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation and the risk of mortality remains controversial. To investigate and compare effects of propofol and midazolam on 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). A retrospective cohort study was conducted on data from 952 adult patients with SAE extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to investigate the associations of propofol and midazolam with 30-day mortality; and univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to explore the relationships of propofol and midazolam with ventilation duration. The outcome measures were hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). In addition, subgroup analyses of age, simplified acute physiological score (SAPS)-II, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and ventilation duration were also performed to further assess the associations of propofol and midazolam with 30-day mortality. Among eligible patients, 265 (27.84%) died within 30 days. After adjusting for covariates, treatment with propofol was associated with both lower risk of 30-day mortality (HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.51-0.88) and lower odds of prolonged ventilation duration (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53-0.96) compared to treatment with midazolam. Moreover, the negative association between treatment with propofol and 30-day mortality was also significant in subgroups of age ≥65 years, SAPS-II score ≥47, CCI score ≥3, and ventilation duration ≥5 days (all p < 0.05). Among patients with SAE, treatment with propofol was relatively more effective than treatment with midazolam in reducing the risk of 30-day mortality and the duration of mechanical ventilation. However, the causal relationships of propofol and midazolam with prognosis in patients with SAE need further clarification.