title: Assessing the utility of ICU admission for octogenarians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advanced age is associated with increased severity of acute critical illnesses and admission to ICU. Despite advances in the support for older critically ill patients, the short- and long-term mortality rates remain substantial. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors influencing the outcome of a geriatric population admitted to the ICU.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center, prospective, observational study was conducted among all geriatric patients, 80 years or older, admitted to ICU during a 6-month study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-two patients were admitted. Mean age was 85.1 years (range 80-96), mean APACHE-II score was 24.7 (range 11-40), and mean frailty score was 5.8 (range 3-8). Thirty-nine (75 %) patients received mechanical ventilation, and 31 (59.7 %) were on vasoactive therapy. Twenty-four (46.3 %) patients died during their hospital admission, and 13 (25 %) of them expired in ICU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Advanced age, needs for vasopressor therapy, and mechanical ventilation are independent predictive factors of adverse outcome. Pre-admission functional status was not independently associated with unfavorable outcome.
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA. jose.orsini@woodhullhc.nychhc.org.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA.
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaak
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shamian
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA.
authors.forename: Amr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY, 11206, USA.
authors.forename: Yaw-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Critically ill; Elderly patients; Intensive care unit (ICU)