Outcome and costs of intensive care. A follow-up study on 238 ICU-patients.

A retrospective follow-up study was performed on 238 consecutive admissions in the surgical ICU. The patients were grouped into four categories according to the therapeutic intervention scoring system: 14 in class I, 13 in class II, 81 in class III and 130 in class IV. The mortality rate during their stay in the ICU (5.4%), after discharge from the ICU (2.1%) and 2 years after discharge from the hospital (7.6%) was estimated. The functional state after discharge from the hospital showed that 74% of the patients resumed their normal work, 10% were handicapped but self-reliant, and 1.3% were dependent on others in order to pursue their daily activities. Fifty-two percent of the total hospitalization costs were generated during the ICU stage which accounted for 17.5% of the hospitalization period. Sixty percent of the total financial investment was spent on the group of survivors who resumed normal work. The mean cost per survivor was $7095 or $1 per survivor per day of active life over an average span of 15 years survival after discharge from the hospital.