Inhospital outcome of elderly patients in an intensive care unit in a Sub-Saharan hospital

In Burkina Faso, demographics are changing and we are seeing a growing prevalence of older patients in intensive care units. Elderly people have increased health care needs but there is a lack of geriatric specialists. This study aimed to analyze in-hospital outcome of patients aged over 65 years, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Yalgado Hospital.

We carried out a 5-year retrospective study in the ICU of Yalgado Ouédraogo Hospital. Elderly patients with completed records were included. Baseline characteristics, clinical and outcome were analyzed.

Two thousand one hundred sixteen patients were admitted to ICU, 237 (11.2%) of whom were included. There were 70 females and 167 males. The median age was 71.7 ± 6.1 years. The overall mortality rate in ICU was 73%, of whom 90% died within 7 days after admission. In multivariate analysis, shock (Odds Ratio: OR = 2.2, p = 0.002), severe brain trauma (OR; 9.6, p = 0.002), coma (OR 5.8 p < 0.003), surgical condition (OR = 4.2, p = 0.003), ASAPS Score ≥ 8 (OR = 4.3, p = 0.001), complication occurring (OR = 5.2_, p = 0.001) and stroke (OR = 3.7_, p = 0.001) were independent factors.

Elderly patients were frequent in ICU and their mortality rate was high. Stroke, severe brain trauma, surgery, complications occurring during hospitalization were independent risk factors of death.