Factors influencing intensive care unit survival for critically ill elderly patients

To examine factors influencing intensive care unit (ICU) survival for critically ill elderly patients and to compare survivors and nonsurvivors of ICU on demographic and illness-related variables.

Retrospective, ex post facto research design.

Adult medical and surgical ICUs.

The records of 164 survivors and 111 nonsurvivors from 2 medical-surgical ICUs were examined. Patients were placed into 3 age groups (middle-aged, young-old, and old-old) to compare outcomes for elderly ICU patients.

ICU survival, ICU treatments received, severity of illness.

The Acute Physiology Age and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) was used to assess illness severity. Additional illness-related information was collected by chart review.

Predictors of ICU nonsurvival were severity of illness (measured by APACHE II scores) and intubation. Comparison of survivors and nonsurvivors revealed no statistically significant differences in sex or age. For all age groups, nonsurvivors had significantly higher mean days of ICU hospitalization (F (1,239) = 7.20 P < .0078) and higher APACHE II scores (F (1,239) = 106.5 P < .0001). Analysis of ICU treatments received by the 3 age groups of survivors revealed a significant difference only on oxygen therapy, (chi-square = 10.2, df = 2, P = .006), with more young-old (aged 65 to 79) and old-old (aged 80 and older) ICU patients receiving oxygen therapy than middle-aged patients (aged 45 to 64).

The findings of this study demonstrated that severity of illness was a predictor of ICU outcome; age was not. Additionally, age was not related to ICU treatments received.