Aim: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have significantly increased mortality rates. Frequently, clinicians are called upon to help families make decisions regarding aggressiveness of care. Having a realistic expectation of outcome is critical for these discussions. This article looked at survival and outcomes following initiation of vasopressors.
Methods: All patients admitted to the ICU between January and June 2011were included. Patients were classified into those who had been started on vasopressors (VP+) and those who had not (VP-). Outcomes of these groups including survival were calculated and compared.
Results: A total of 1023 patients were included: 169 in the VP+ group and 854 in the VP- group. The survival rate in the VP+ group was 29.6% compared to 92.0% in the VP- group. This was both clinically and statistically significant (P < .001).
Conclusion: Patients started on vasopressors in the ICU have very poor outcomes. Being able to quantify this accurately is important to clinicians having discussions with family members.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049909115593065 | DOI Listing |
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