The American review of respiratory disease
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Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. · Aug 1989
ReviewIntensive care unit survival of patients with systemic illness.
Many patients with systemic illness are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) and placed on life support. This occurs in patient populations even when the projected mortality rate might be as high as 80 to 90%. Patients with systemic illness often are life-support-dependent in ICUs as chronically critically ill patients for many weeks. ⋯ Numerous studies have identified that chronologic age is associated with increased mortality rates. However, a better assessment would be biologic age, which would take into account both chronologic age and health status. ICU survival of patients with cancer, hematologic neoplasms, renal failure, liver failure, AIDS, and burns is reviewed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)