Patients with preexisting psychiatric disorders admitted to ICU: a descriptive and retrospective cohort study

While the psychiatric disorders are conditions frequently encountered in hospitalized patients, there are little or no data regarding the characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes in patients with preexisting psychiatric disorders in ICU. Such assessment may provide the opportunity to determine the respective impact on mortality in the ICU and after ICU discharge with reasons for admission, including modalities of self-harm, of underlying psychiatric disorders and prior psychoactive medications.

ICU and 1-year survival analysis performed on a retrospective cohort of patients with preexisting psychiatric disorders admitted from 2000 through 2013 in a 21-bed polyvalent ICU in a university hospital.

Among the 1751 patients of the cohort, 1280 (73%) were admitted after deliberate self-harm. Psychiatric diagnoses were: schizophrenia, n = 97 (6%); non-schizophrenia psychotic disorder, n = 237 (13%); depression disorder, n = 1058 (60%), bipolar disorder, n = 172 (10%), and anxiety disorder, n = 187 (11%). ICU mortality rate was significantly lower in patients admitted after self-harm than in patients admitted for other reasons than self-harm [38/1288 patients (3%) vs. 53/463 patients (11%), respectively, p < 0.0001]. Compared with patients admitted for deliberate self-poisoning with psychoactive medications, patients admitted for self-harm by hanging, drowning, jumping from buildings, or corrosive chemicals ingestion had a significantly higher ICU mortality rate. In the ICU, SAPS II score [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.061, 95% CI 1.041-1.079, p < 0.0001], use of vasopressors (adjusted OR 7.40, 95% CI 2.94-18.51, p < 0.001), out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (adjusted OR 14.70, 95% CI 3.86-38.51, p < 0.001), and self-harm by hanging, drowning, jumping from buildings, or corrosive chemicals ingestion (adjusted OR 11.49, 95% CI 3.76-35.71, p < 0.001) were independently associated with mortality. After ICU discharge SAPS II score [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.023, 95% CI 1.010-1.036, p < 0.01], age (adjusted HR 1.030, 95% CI 1.016-1.044, p < 0.0001), admission for respiratory failure (adjusted HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.19-4.57, p = 0.01), and shock (adjusted HR 3.72, 95% CI 1.97-6.62, p < 0.001) were independently associated with long-term mortality. Neither psychiatric diagnoses nor psychoactive medications received before admission to the ICU were independently associated with mortality.

The study provides data on the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with prepsychiatric disorders admitted to the ICU that may guide decisions when considering ICU admission and discharge in these patients.