title: Outcomes of intensive care unit admissions after elective cancer surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postoperative care for major elective cancer surgery is frequently provided on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the characteristics and outcome of patients after ICU admission following elective surgery for different cancer diagnoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed all ICU admissions following elective cancer surgery in the Netherlands collected in the National Intensive Care Evaluation registry between January 2007 and January 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  28,973 patients (9.0% of all ICU admissions; 40% female) were admitted to the ICU after elective cancer surgery. Of these admissions 77% were planned; in 23% of cases the decision for ICU admission was made during or directly after surgery. The most frequent malignancies were colorectal cancer (25.6%), lung cancer (18.5%) and tumors of the central nervous system (14.3%). Mechanical ventilation was necessary in 24.8% of all patients, most frequently after surgery for esophageal (62.5%) and head and neck cancer (50.2%); 20.7% of patients were treated with vasopressors in the acute postoperative phase, in particular after surgery for esophageal cancer (41.8%). The median length of stay on the ICU was 0.9 days (interquartile ranges [IQR] 0.8-1.5); surgery for esophageal cancer was associated with the longest ICU length of stay (median 2.0 days) with the largest variation (IQR 1.0-4.8 days). ICU mortality was 1.4%; surgery for gastrointestinal cancer was associated with the highest ICU mortality (colorectal cancer 2.2%, pancreatico-cholangiocarcinoma 2.0%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elective cancer surgery represents a significant part of all ICU admissions, with a short length of stay and low mortality.
authors.affiliation: Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M M E M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bakhshi-Raiez
authors.forename: J W T
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: de Keizer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Jonge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents