Heart/breathing rate ratio (HBR) as a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients.

Objectives: The early prediction of death is a challenge for medical staff. We evaluated the ability of the heart/breathing rate ratio (HBR) to predict mortality.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective observational study of adult patients who had fever with or without respiratory symptoms, who survived at least 2 h after visiting the hospital, and whose lactate levels and vital signs were tested.