Characteristics and Survival Rates in Ward Patients Requiring Evaluation by Intensivist in Greece

Patients at risk should be admitted to the ICU if there is room for improvement. Patients who have no room for improvement or the risk of death is either too high or too low should not be admitted to the ICU.

To investigate ward patient characteristics, outcomes, and survival rates after an emergency call for evaluation by an intensivist.

This is a prospective observational study of patients hospitalized at a general hospital in Greece. A data recording form was completed by the investigators in order to collect the required data.

115 patients (58.3%, n = 67 men and 41.7%, n = 48 women) of mean age 67.1 ± 13.8 years (range 27-92 years) were evaluated by an intensivist and were recorded. 28.7% (n = 33) were hospitalized in a surgical clinic, 67% (n = 77) were hospitalized in internal medicine clinics (oncology), and 4.3% (n = 5) of the patients were treated in the emergency department, the radiotherapy department, or the radiology department. 73% (n = 84/115) of the patients were hospitalized in the ICU. Total survival rate was 49.6% (57/115). Of the 31 patients who did not enter the ICU (out of 115 patients), 15 survived (13% of the 115 patients or 48.4% of the 31 patients not admitted to the ICU). Five (5) of them had a cardiac arrest and either died without entering the ICU or continued their hospitalization in the ward. The survival rates of the patients not admitted to the ICU who continued hospitalization at the ward was 57.7% (15/26). Of the 84 patients admitted to the ICU, 42 survived (36.5% of the 115 patients or 50% of the 84 patients admitted to the ICU).

The survival rates of these patients are quite low and possibly multifactorial due to the severity of the disease, the unnecessary call for an intensivist due to an irreversible condition, or the delayed call of an intensivist.