Crit Care Resusc
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The association between insurance status and outcome in critically ill patients is uncertain. We aimed to determine if there was an independent relationship between the presence or absence of compensable insurance status and mortality, after admission to the intensive care unit. ⋯ Among ICU patients treated in public hospitals in Victoria, being a compensable patient appears to be independently associated with a reduction in mortality. Further studies are needed to confirm and validate these findings elsewhere in Australia.
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To describe the incidence and mortality of postoperative sepsis in New South Wales, Australia. ⋯ Over 8 years, the mortality from postoperative sepsis decreased, but its incidence rate increased, resulting in a lack of improvement in the incidence rate of sepsis-related deaths. The increasing incidence of postoperative sepsis and the poor record of identification of causative organisms remain a significant public health challenge.
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To evaluate whether the admission of a palliative patient to the intensive care unit for end-of-life care and consideration of organ donation provides an equivalent net benefit in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) compared with the admission of a non-palliative patient for active management. ⋯ The admission of a dying patient to the ICU when organ donation may be possible is of considerable community benefit, yielding an average of over seven times the QALYs per ICU bed-day compared with the average benefit for ICU patients expected to survive. When it is possible to offer end-of-life care in the ICU, it should not be denied on the basis of concerns about lack of benefit or inappropriate use of resources.