Delayed intensive care unit admission from the emergency department: impact on patient outcomes. A retrospective study.

Objective: To study the impact of delayed admission by more than 4 hours on the outcomes of critically ill patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study in which adult patients admitted directly from the emergency department to the intensive care unit were divided into two groups: Timely Admission if they were admitted within 4 hours and Delayed Admission if admission was delayed for more than 4 hours. Intensive care unit length of stay and hospital/intensive care unit mortality were compared between the groups.