Predictors of mortality and median survival time of critically ill patients

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the predictors of mortality and the average survival time of patients hospitalized in Intensive Care Units. Methods: This is a prospective cohort, carried out from August 2018 to July 2019, in four adult Intensive Care Units (ICU) from the public and private network of the State of Sergipe. All adult patients were included, provided they had a minimum length of stay of 24 hours in the unit. The primary outcome was death. Secondary outcomes were dialysis, pressure injury, Acute Kidney Injury, need for invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours, infection, and length of hospital stay. Results: Of the 432 patients, there was a predominance of death in male patients, older and coming from the emergency unit. The presence of heart failure, creatinine values >1.5 mg/dL at admission, diabetes mellitus, liver disease and smoking were also associated with the death outcome. As for the other predictors, the longest hospital stay, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Simplified Acute Physiology (SAPS 3) and Nursing Activities Score (NAS) scores, in addition to the use of noradrenaline, stand out. The use of fentanyl was associated with increased survival time and the overall median survival time was 28 days. Conclusion: The mortality predictors of patients admitted to the ICU in Sergipe were longer length of stay; the highest SOFA, SAPS-3 and NAS scores; creatinine >1.5mg/dl on admission; use of vasopressor drugs and the need for dialysis.