title: The impact of organ failures and their relationship with outcome in intensive care: analysis of a prospective multicentre database of adult admissions.
abstract: The database of a multicentre cohort study was analysed to determine the impact of intensive care unit (ICU) organ failures and their association with ICU mortality using sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA). A consecutive sample of 873 adult patients with a non-neurological diagnosis was identified. SOFA scores were measured every 24 h of ICU stay. The odds of ICU death within 7 days doubled (95% CI 1.3-2.9) for a 5-unit increase in total SOFA score at admission, p < 0.001. However ICU death after 7 days was not associated with total SOFA score at admission, p = 0.36. Compared to patients with a day 6 total SOFA score = 5, there was a 1-unit (95% CI 0.8-3.1) increase in the odds ratio of ICU death after 7 days with every 5-unit increase in SOFA score on day 6, p = 0.009. Continuous assessments of organ failures during an ICU admission are more useful than scores measured at admission to determine outcome and to compare ICUs.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Research, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland EH8 9AG, UK. nfor_tonga@yahoo.com
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Nfor
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Prescott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index