Intensive care unit admission has minimal impact on long-term mortality.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the association between intensive care unit (ICU) admission and both hospital and long-term mortality, separate from the effect of hospital admission alone.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
All hospitals in British Columbia, Canada, during 3 fiscal years, 1994 to 1996.


METHODS
A total of 27,103 patients admitted to ICU and 41,308 (5% random sample) patients admitted to hospital but not to ICU.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
Although ICU admission was an important factor associated with hospital mortality (odds ratio: 9.12; 95% confidence interval: 8.34-9.96), the association between ICU admission and mortality after discharge was relatively minimal (hazard ratio: 1.21; 95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.27) and was completely overshadowed by the effect of age, gender, and diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
After controlling for the effect of hospital admission, admission to ICU has minimal independent effect on mortality after discharge.
Keenan
Sean P
SP
Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Dodek
Peter
P
Chan
Keith
K
Hogg
Robert S
RS
Craib
Kevin J P
KJ
Anis
Aslam H
AH
Spinelli
John J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D020379:Risk Adjustment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate