Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Sep 2024
Epidemiology of acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units during 2005-2022. A binational, registry-based study.
Acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF) is a common reason for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. However, patient characteristics, outcomes, and trends over time are unclear. We describe the epidemiology and outcomes of patients with AHRF over time. ⋯ The healthcare burden due to AHRF may be larger than expected, and mortality rates remain high in severe AHRF. Although mortality has decreased over time, this may reflect improvements in ICU care in general, rather than specifically in AHRF. More research is required to earlier identify AHRF and stratify these patients at risk of deterioration early, and to validate our findings.