Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran Archives of Iranian Medicine 1029-2977 28 9 2025 09 01 Impact of Ambient PM₁₀ and SO₂ Levels on Intensive Care Unit Admissions Due to Cardiopulmonary Diseases in a Tertiary Care Hospital 514 521 10.34172/aim.34530 EN Melike Yüksel Yavuz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1674-2677 Hüseyin Döngelli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4032-9209 Mehmet Yavuz https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7444-0912 Adem Şahin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8493-7663 Murat Güneş https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9287-7763 Işıl Köse Güldoğan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0657-4948 Nimet Şenoğlu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9932-9401 Journal Article 10.34172/aim.34530 2025 05 15 2025 08 10 Background: Ambient air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM₁₀) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), has been implicated in exacerbating cardiopulmonary diseases. While emergency department visits have been widely studied, the impact of pollution on intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality is less understood. This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the association between monthly air pollutant levels and ICU admissions for cardiopulmonary conditions, as well as in-hospital mortality. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 6,112 ICU admissions in a tertiary hospital from January 2012 to November 2019. Using defined inclusion criteria, 227 pulmonary and 344 cardiovascular ICU admissions were selected. Monthly PM₁₀ and SO₂ levels were obtained from official air monitoring stations. A one-month lag model was applied for cardiovascular admissions. Multivariate models were used to assess associations, and results were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Higher PM₁₀ levels were significantly associated with pulmonary ICU admissions (β=0.017; 95% CI: 0.003–0.031; P=0.020) and with cardiovascular admissions using a one-month lag structure (β=0.018; 95% CI: 0.005–0.030; P=0.006). SO₂ showed no significant associations. No significant relationship was observed between air pollution and in-hospital mortality. Chronic kidney disease (HR=1.309; 95% CI: 1.031–1.663; P=0.027) and higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) scores (HR=1.012; 95% CI: 1.006–1.017; P<0.001) were independent mortality predictors. Conclusion: This study indicates that long-term exposure to PM₁₀ significantly affects ICU hospitalization rates for both pulmonary and cardiac conditions, particularly reflecting delayed effects in cardiovascular admissions, without a corresponding impact on in-hospital mortality.