Long-term outcome of critically ill elderly patients requiring intensive care.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term mortality and morbidity of critically ill elderly patients requiring intensive care.


METHODS
Prospective comparison of outcome of critically ill patients aged 75 years and older with patients aged 65 to 74 years.


METHODS
Critically ill patients aged 65 years and older who required intensive care and who were recruited during a 3-month period.


METHODS
Duration of hospitalization, hospital charges, procedures used in the intensive care unit, mortality in the hospital and during the follow-up period, and quality of life of survivors during the follow-up period.


RESULTS
Ninety-seven patients were included in the study; 54 were 75 years or older and 43 were aged 65 to 74 years. No significant difference was noted between the two groups for length of stay in the hospital, hospital charges, or mortality at 1 year. Severity of illness, as assessed by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score at the time of intensive care unit admission, was a better predictor of survival than age. Quality of life, as assessed by activities of daily living, perceived quality of life, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression score, were not significantly different in either group at 1, 6, and 12 months after discharge from the hospital. Most patients in both groups described their quality of life as adequate and were willing to receive intensive care again, if necessary.


CONCLUSIONS
Age alone is not an adequate predictor of long-term survival and quality of life in critically ill elderly patients.
Chelluri
L
L
Department of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA 15213.
Pinsky
M R
MR
Donahoe
M P
MP
Grenvik
A
A
D000368:Aged; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018579:Patient Selection; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis