The effect of age on clinical outcomes in critically ill brain-injured patients

We studied the impact of age on survival and functional recovery in brain-injured patients.

We performed an observational cohort study of all consecutive adult patients with brain injury admitted to ICU in 8 years. To estimate the optimal cut-off point of the age associated with unfavorable outcomes (mRS 3-6), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors for unfavorable outcomes.

We included 619 brain-injured patients. We identified 60 years as the cut-off point at which the probability of unfavorable outcomes increases. Patients ≥ 60 years had higher severity scores at ICU admission, longer duration of mechanical ventilation, longer ICU and hospital stays, and higher mortality. Factors identified as associated with unfavorable outcomes (mRS 3-6) were an advanced age (≥ 60 years) [Odds ratio (OR) 4.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.73-7.74, p < 0.001], a low GCS score (≤ 8 points) [OR 3.72, 95% CI 1.95-7.08, p < 0.001], the development of intracranial hypertension [OR 5.52, 95% CI 2.70-11.28, p < 0.001], and intracerebral hemorrhage as the cause of neurologic disease [OR 3.87, 95% CI 2.34-6.42, p < 0.001].

Mortality and unfavorable functional outcomes in critically ill brain-injured patients were associated with older age (≥ 60 years), higher clinical severity (determined by a lower GCS score at admission and the development of intracranial hypertension), and an intracerebral hemorrhage as the cause of neurologic disease.