N. Melo1, J. Chan1, J. Mirocha1, M. Bloom1, E. Ley1, R. Chung1, D. Margulies1 1Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,Los Angeles, CA, USA
Introduction: With the increasing aging population in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), we analyzed patients admitted to our Surgical ICU to determine if age had an effect on mortality and complications.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted between February 2011 and January 2014 on all patients admitted to the Surgical ICU at our institution. Patient demographics and complications were analyzed using decade of life (< 50, 50-60, 60-70, 70-80, ≥ 80) to determine whether this influenced outcomes and rate of complications. ANOVA and Chi-Squared tests were used as appropriate for analysis.
Results: 2,272 patients were included in the study. Patients were 55.3% male, average age was 59.7 years, and average APACHE score of 26.68. We found that mortality increases with increasing age (p<0.05). There was no difference in ICU length of stay (LOS), or Ventilator Days. With increasing age, there were increases in rates of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Sepsis, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Arrhythmias, Shock, and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) (p< 0.05). We saw an increase in renal failure for ages 50-70. There were no differences in GI bleeds. Rates of SIRS declined with increasing age.
Conclusion: Although ICU mortality is known to increase with age, we demonstrate that patients as young as 50 start to have an increase risk of complications. Interestingly, LOS and Ventilator Days were not affected by age. SIRS was decrease as patients aged, which may be related to the inability to mount an early physiologic response. This study will help to increase vigilance in the ICU and help with utilization of resources.
