Abstract
There is no consensus among clinicians on the criteria for admission of older adult patients to the intensive care unit (ICU). In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of risk factors assessed during admission to the emergency department (ED) in older adult patients admitted to the ICU from the ED on ICU mortality. Patients aged 65 years or older, who were admitted to the ICU between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: 65–74 years old and 75 years and older. Clinical and demographic data were evaluated and patients were analyzed according to the age groups. The association of risk factors on ICU mortality was determined using logistic regression analysis. Of the 839 patients included in the study, 66.3% were in the 65–74 age group and 33.7% were in the ≥75 age group. A proportion of 24.7% of the patients (n=207) died. The risk factors associated with ICU mortality were low mean arterial pressure (OR=0.98, 95% CI:0.97-0.99), low Glasgow Coma Scale score (OR=0.73, 95% CI:0.66-0.80), intubation requirement (OR=12.58, 95% CI:6.02–26.30), underlying cancer diagnosis (OR = 7.23, 95% CI: 2.60-20.16), and long stay in the ED (OR=1.65, 95% CI:1.46–1.87).Age alone was not associated with ICU mortality (p=0.122). Admission to the ICU from the ED should consider the risk factors associated with ICU mortality.