Epidemiology of Critically Ill Patients in Intensive Care Units in Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal: a retrospective...

Background Critical care involves the management of acutely ill patients at risk of organ failure. The burden of critical illness is a major public health concerns, particularly in low and middle income countries like Nepal where access to intensive care services is limited. Objective To identify the clinical profile of patients admitted to the Level III Intensive Care Unit at Dhulikhel Hospital. Method Data over a period of six months were collected from the ICU registry. Severity and mortality risks were assessed using APACHE II and eTropics scoring systems. Clinical profiles and outcomes were analyzed using SPSS version 25. An independent samples t test was used to compare continuous variables between two independent groups. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result A total of 486 patients were included in the study, of whom 57% were male . The median age was 55 years (IQR: 41-69). Most patients were admitted from the emergency room (52.7%). Patients with medical conditions had a higher ICU admission compared to surgical patients. The majority of patients (63.6%) were transferred to the ward followed by discharge to home (16.2%). Non routine discharges included treatment withdrawal in 89 (18.3%) and patient leaving against medical advice 53 patients (11%). The overall mortality rate was 11.3%. Conclusion This study shows that most admissions were male, with median age of 55 years and medical cases were more prevalent than surgical cases. The observed mortality rate may underestimate mortality due to high rate of treatment withdrawal discharges.