Critical Care Statistics

Abstract

re than 5.7 million patients are admitted annually to intensive care units (ICUs) in the United States (U.S.) for intensive or invasive monitoring; support of airway, breathing or circulation; stabilization of acute or life-threatening medical problems; comprehensive management of injury and/or illness; and restoration to stable health status or comfort while dying within an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment. Approximately 20% of acute care admissions are to an ICU; up to 58% of emergency department admissions result in an ICU admission. ICU patients are a heterogeneous population, but all share the need for frequent assessment and greater need for technological support compared to patients admitted to non-ICU beds.\r\rCardiac, respiratory and neurologic conditions are common in adult ICU patients. The five primary ICU admission diagnoses for adults are, in decreasing order: respiratory system diagnosis with ventilator support, acute myocardial infarction, intracranial hemorrhage or cerebral infarction, percutaneous cardiovascular procedure with drug-eluting stent, and septicemia or severe sepsis without mechanical ventilation. Other conditions and procedures involving high ICU use are poisoning and toxic effects of drugs, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure, heart failure and shock, cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders, renal failure with major complication or comorbidity, gastrointestinal hemorrhage with complication or comorbidity, and diabetes with complication or comorbidity. The most common technological support is mechanical ventilation, with 20-30% of U.S. ICU admissions requiring this type of intervention.\r\rPatients admitted to the pediatric ICU (PICU) often have complex chronic conditions. Respiratory illnesses are the most common diagnoses. Trauma, post-surgical care, infection, and fluid and electrolyte derangements are also reported as frequent diagnoses in unplanned PICU admissions. Childhood-onset chronic conditions, including congenital heart abnormalities, cerebral palsy, and chromosomal abnormities, have been reported in 53% of children admitted to PICUs.\r\rPatients admitted to the neonatal ICU (NICU) are generally preterm with very low birth weight (i.e., less than 1500 grams [3.3 pounds]); these two conditions account for 70-90% of NICU admissions. Common to neonates are diagnoses of respiratory illnesses and infections. As with adults, mechanical ventilation is a common technological support in both pediatric and neonatal patients.\r\rSources: