[Trends in intensive care unit admissions from 2018 to 2022: Data from Abidjan Heart Institute]

Assess trends of hospitalizations in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Abidjan Heart Institute.

We conducted a retrospective descriptive and analytical study over a five-year period, from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022. Data were collected from the ICU registry for the study period. We analyzed and compared sociodemographic data, diagnoses, length of stay, and mortality, as well as changes over time.

Three thousand six hundred and ninety-seven (3697) patients were included in the study. There has been a gradual decrease in the number of admissions to the CCU for all causes, particularly in 2021. Males accounted for the majority of patients in all years considered (63.89%, sex ratio=1.72). However, there has been an increase in the proportion of female patients over the last two years. Over the study period, the median age of the entire population was 55years [39-66], with no significant variation over the years (P=0.39). Admissions were dominated by ischemic heart disease in 22.42% of cases, followed by cardiomyopathy (14.25%). This predominance of ischemic heart disease remained constant throughout the study period, despite a significant decrease in almost all admissions for cardiovascular disease. The overall mortality rate among all patients admitted to the CCU from 2018 to 2022 was 26.3% and remained unchanged over the study period (P=0.192). Considering specific annual mortality, there was a significant trends in mortality rates for cardiomyopathy (P=0.002) and pulmonary hypertension (P=0.031).

Our study conducted at Abidjan Heart Institute among a population of patients hospitalized in the ICU revealed significant temporal variations. Despite an overall decline in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, it appears that ischemic heart disease was the main reason for admission to the ICU. The conditions found in the ICU, most often cardiovascular, affect relatively young male patients. However, there has been a notable increase in the proportion of women over the last two years, with a particular focus of specific cardiovascular condition, and higher mortality. These observations will need to be verified over longer periods and could help guide health policies and priorities in order to address the outbreak of cardiovascular diseases observed in our practice.