Tuberc Respir Dis.  2008 Jun;64(6):445-450.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Elderly Patients Receiving Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital

• Han MS
• Moon KM
• Lee YD
• Cho Y
• Na DJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND
As the number of older-aged people increases, the number of elderly patients who receive critical care services is expected to increase substantially. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients who receive mechanical ventilation for more than 30 days in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) at a university hospital.
METHODS
We retrospectively examined forty-one elderly patients (> or =65 years old) who were receiving mechanical ventilation, from April 2004 to March 2007, for periods exceeding 30 days at the MICU at Eulji University Hospital.
RESULTS
The MICU and hospitalmortality rate were 60.9% and 65.9%, respectively. The mean length of the ICU stay was 57.5 days and the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 49.3 days. The most common reason for MICU admission was acute respiratory failure (73.2%), followed by sepsis (12.2%), neurological problems (9.8%), and gastrointestinal bleeding (4.9%). The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores were higher for the nonsurvivors than for the survivors (28.0 vs. 25.0, respectively, p=0.03). The nonsurvivors received more red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during their ICU stay than did the survivors (84.0% vs. 43.8%, respectively p=0.007). The factors associated with hospital death were the APACHE II score and if the patient had received a RBC transfusion.
CONCLUSION
The APACHE II score and a RBC transfusion were predictors of increased hospital mortality for the elderly patients who were on prolonged mechanical ventilation. These predictors may assist physicians to make clinical decisions for this patient population.

Keyword

Mechanical ventilation; Elderly; Intensive care unit

MeSH Terms

Aged
APACHE
Critical Care
Erythrocytes
Hemorrhage
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Critical Care
Intensive Care Units
Prognosis
Respiration, Artificial
Respiratory Insufficiency
Retrospective Studies
Sepsis
Survivors

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