Characteristics of Critically-Ill Patients at Two Tertiary Care Hospitals in Sudan.

Objectives: Knowledge of intensive care unit (ICU) admission patterns and characteristics is necessary for the development of critical care services, particularly in low-resource settings. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of critically-ill patients admitted to ICUs in Sudan.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted between February and May 2017 in the ICUs of two government tertiary care hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan. A total of 100 consecutive adult patients admitted to the ICUs were included in the study. The patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scores upon admission were recorded, as well as the reason for admission, presence of any underlying comorbidities, interventional requirements like mechanical ventilation or haemodialysis, length of stay in the ICU and patient outcome.

Results: Of the sample, 58% were female and 42% were male. The mean age was 47.4 ± 18.3 years old. Upon admission, the mean APACHE II score was 14.2 ± 9.6. In total, 54% of the patients had no known underlying comorbidities. The most common reasons for ICU admission were neurological diseases (27%), sepsis or infectious diseases (19%) and postoperative management (12%). Mechanical ventilation and haemodialysis were required by 35% and 11% of the patients, respectively. The average length of stay was 10.0 ± 7.2 days and the mortality rate was 24%.

Conclusion: Most of the patients admitted to the ICUs were middle-aged females with no known underlying comorbidities. Larger studies are necessary to provide a comprehensive understanding of the critical care needs of Sudanese hospitals.