Outcome of cancer patients considered for intensive care unit admission: a hospital-wide prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the outcome of cancer patients considered for admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).


METHODS
Prospective, one-year hospital-wide study of all cancer and hematology patients, including bone marrow transplantation patients, for whom admission to the ICU was requested.


RESULTS
Of the 206 patients considered for ICU admission, 105 patients (51%) were admitted. Of the 101 patients who were not admitted, 54 patients (26.2%) were considered too sick to benefit, and 47 patients (22.8%) were considered to be too well to benefit from the ICU. Of these 47 patients, 13 patients were admitted later. Survival rates after 30 and 180 days were significantly associated with admission status (P < .0001). Remission of the malignancy (odds ratio [OR], 3.37; 95% CI, 1.25 to 9.07) was independently associated with ICU admission, whereas poor chronic health status (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.74) and solid tumor (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.78) were associated with ICU refusal. In admitted patients, 30-day and 6-month survival rates were 54.3% and 32.4%, respectively. Of the patients considered too sick to benefit from ICU admission, 26% were alive on day 30 and 16.7% on day 180. Among patients considered too well to benefit, the 30-day survival rate was a worrisome 78.7%. Calibration of the Mortality Probability Model (the only score available at triage) was of limited value for predicting 30-day survival (area under the curve, 0.62).


CONCLUSIONS
Both the excess mortality in too-well patients later admitted to the ICU and the relatively good survival in too-sick patients suggest the need for a broader admission policy.
Thiéry
Guillaume
G
Medical Intensive Care Unit, Saint Louis Teaching Hospital, 1 rue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France. guillaume.thiery@sls.ap-hop-paris.fr
Azoulay
Elie
E
Darmon
Michael
M
Ciroldi
Magali
M
De Miranda
Sandra
S
Lévy
Vincent
V
Fieux
Fabienne
F
Moreau
Delphine
D
Le Gall
Jean Roger
JR
Schlemmer
Benoît
B
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016079:Refusal to Treat; D016019:Survival Analysis