Predicting whether the ICU can help older patients: score needed

Maité Garrouste-Orgeas,Jean Carlet

doi:10.1186/cc3750

Abstract

Because the need for intensive care exceeds its availability in several countries, intensivists must admit those patients most likely to benefit. Intensive care unit admissions of elderly patients will increase substantially in the near future. Decreased self sufficiency and quality of life are common after hospitalization in older patients and they may require discharge to a nursing home, although some patients feel that life in a nursing home would be worse than dying. We have much to learn about matching the use of life-supporting treatments to the health-related values of older patients. A specific outcome-prediction score for older patients would help improve quality of care.

Highlights

The demographic revolution that is sweeping across industrialized countries will dramatically increase the absolute number of older individuals over the 40 years
Quality of life may be of greater concern for the elderly than for younger individuals. In this issue of Critical Care, De Rootj et al [1] review recent data on outcomes of elderly patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), discussing the impact of age, diagnosis, pre-admission functional status and patients’ preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments
They suggest that developing a specific score for predicting long-term outcomes in elderly ICU patients would help intensivists identify those patients most likely to benefit from ICU admission and would aid decision-making with the patient or relatives

Summary

Introduction

The demographic revolution that is sweeping across industrialized countries will dramatically increase the absolute number of older individuals over the 40 years. In this issue of Critical Care, De Rootj et al [1] review recent data on outcomes of elderly patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), discussing the impact of age, diagnosis, pre-admission functional status and patients’ preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments. They suggest that developing a specific score for predicting long-term outcomes in elderly ICU patients would help intensivists identify those patients most likely to benefit from ICU admission and would aid decision-making with the patient or relatives.

Results

Conclusion