European journal of cancer : official journal for European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) [and] European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
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The admission of neutropenic patients to an intensive care unit (ICU) is still controversial, especially if mechanical ventilation is required. To avoid useless stays in ICU, the evaluation of the respective role of the underlying malignancy and acute organ failures might be useful for better definition of the categories of patients who could benefit from aggressive ICU support. For this purpose, we carried out a retrospective study of the charts of 107 consecutive neutropenic patients admitted to an ICU in a comprehensive cancer centre over a four-year period. ⋯ In the multiple logistic regression model, only the number of organ system failures and respiratory failure remained predictive of ICU mortality. In conclusion, the characteristics of the underlying malignancy are not relevant when deciding whether or not neutropenic patients should be admitted to an ICU. The main risk factors for death in an ICU are the number of organ failures on admission, and among them the presence of respiratory failure.