In-hospital mortality associated factors in elderly patients with invasive mechanical ventilation in the emergency department.

AIMS: To identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality, to estimate the intubation rate and to describe in-hospital mortality in patients over 65 years old with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients over 65 years old, who were intubated in an ED of a high complexity hospital between 2016 and 2018. Demographic data, comorbidities, and severity scores on admission were described. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed with logistic regression according to mortality and possible confounders. RESULTS: A total of 285 patients with a mean age of 80 years required IMV in the emergency department, for a median of 3 days, and with a mean APACHE II score of 20 points of severity. The IMV rate was .48% (95% CI .43-.54), and 55.44% (158) died. Mortality-associated factors after age and sex adjustment were stroke (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.21-3.76), chronic kidney failure, (OR 4.,38; 95% CI 1.91-10.04), Charlson index (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.02-1.38), APACHE II score (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02-1.12), and SOFA score (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03-1.27). DISCUSSION: Our IMV rate was lower than that stated by Johnson et al. in the United States in 2018 (.59%). In-hospital mortality in our study exceeded that predicted by the APACHE II score (40%) and SOFA (33%). However it was consistent with that reported by Lieberman et al. in Israel and Esteban et al. in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: Although the IMV rate was low in the ED, more than half the patients died during hospitalization. Pre-existing cerebrovascular and renal diseases and high results in the comorbidities index and severity scores on admission were independent factors associated with in-hospital mortality.

Mortality risk factors in elderly patients in intensive care without limitation of therapeutic effort. / Factores de riesgo de mortalidad de los pacientes ancianos en cuidados intensivos sin limitación del esfuerzo de tratamiento.

OUTCOME: To determine mortality prognostic factors in elderly patients who are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) due to acute critical illness. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was carried out. SETTING: A polyvalent Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital in Argentina. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: We included 249 patients over 65years of age who were consecutively admitted to the ICU and required mechanical ventilation for more than 48hours, between January 2011 and December 2012. Patients with degenerative neurological disease, limitation of therapeutic effort or on chronic mechanical ventilation were excluded. PRINCIPAL VARIABLES OF INTEREST: In-hospital mortality, comorbidity (Charlson index), APACHEII score, and pre-acute illness status were recorded: nutritional status (subjective global assessment), functionality (activities of daily living [ADL] and Barthel index), cognitive abilities (Short Reporting Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly [S_IQCODE]) and quality of life (EQ-5D). RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality rate was 52%. Logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for APACHEII score and age, identified the following independent variables associated to mortality: male gender (OR: 2.46, 95%CI: 1.37-4.42), moderate malnutrition (OR: 2.07, 95%CI: 1.09-3.94), severe malnutrition (OR: 2.20, 95%CI: 1.06-4.59), and ADL<6 (OR: 2.35, 95%CI: 1.16-4.75). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, chronological age was not associated to in-hospital mortality. However, loss of functional independence (assessed by ADL) and malnourishment were shown to be strong prognostic factors; knowing these baseline characteristics from ICU admission would be useful when making decisions regarding the intensity of treatment.