PURPOSETo investigate the prevalence and diagnosis rate of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) in a mixed-population intensive care unit (ICU), and to investigate the knowledge of ICU staff regarding the guidelines published by the World Society of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome (WSACS) in 2013.

METHODSA one-day cross-sectional study based on the WSACS 2013 guidelines was conducted in the general ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital in Chongqing, China. The included patients were divided into intravesical pressure (IVP) measured group and IVP unmeasured group. The epidemiologic data were recorded, and potential IAH risk factors (RFs) were collected based on the guidelines. IVP measurements were conducted by investigators every 4 h and the result was compared to that measured by the ICU staff to evaluate the diagnosis rate. Besides, a questionnaire was used to investigate the understanding of the guidelines among ICU staff.

RESULTSThirty-two patients were included, 14 in the IVP measured group and 18 in the IVP unmeasured group. The prevalence of IAH during the survey was 15.63% (5/32), 35.71% (5/14) in IVP measured group. Only one case of IAH had been diagnosed by the ICU physician and the diagnosis rate was as low as 20.00%. Logistic regression analysis showed that sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was an independent RF for IAH (OR: 1.532, 95% CI: 1.029-2.282, p=0.036. Fourteen doctors and 5 nurses were investigated and the response rate was 67.86%. The average scores of the doctors and nurses were 27.14±20.16 and 16.00±8.94 respectively. None of them had studied the WSACS 2013 guidelines thoroughly.

CONCLUSIONPatients with a higher SOFA score has a higher incidence of IAH. The IAH prevalence in 14 ICU patients with indwelling catheter was 35.71%. Strengthening the wide and rational use of WSACS guideline is important to improve the diagnosis of IAH.