Survival of intensive care patients. I: Prognostic factors from the patient's medical history.

All adult patients (978) admitted in 1983 to a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) were studied prospectively. 9.6% died in the unit. The cumulative mortality was 26.5% 1 year after admission. Of the patients who were 65 years and older, 43.1% had died after 1 year compared to 10.6% in the youngest age group (15-44 years). Using multiple logistic regression analyses, prognostic factors for mortality were identified. All the factors were known at the time of admission. Risk factors for death in the ICU included age, admission for disorders in several organ systems, cardiopulmonary arrest and acute respiratory disorder. In addition to age and acute conditions at the time of admission, cumulative mortality after 1 year was also influenced by chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chronic heart failure and cancer. These data document the importance of taking age and chronic illness into account when making a prognosis for intensive care patients.