Predictors of death in an Intensive Care Unit: contribution to the palliative approach.

Objective: To identify predictors of death in the Intensive Care Unit and relate eligible patients to preferential palliative care.

Method: A prospective cohort study that evaluated patients hospitalized for more than 24 hours, subdivided into G1 (patients who died) and G2 (patients who were discharged from hospital). For identifying the predictors for death outcome, the intensivist physician was asked the "surprise question" and clinical-demographic data were collected from the patients.