2Department of Critical Care, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia
3Trauma Hospital, Machala, Ecuador 4Grupo Prometheus y Biomedicina Aplicada a las Ciencias Clínicas, School of Medicine, Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
4Grupo Prometheus y Biomedicina Aplicada a las Ciencias Clínicas, School of Medicine, Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
5Medical and Surgical Research Center, Future Surgeons Chapter, Colombian Surgery Association, Bogotá, Colombia
6Professor, School of Medicine, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
7Department of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center - Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
8Grupo de Innovación e Investigación en Cirugía, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia
Abstract
Introduction: Admission to intensive care unit (ICU) of critically ill cancer patients is controversial because of their prognosis, although there is evidence showing short- and medium-term survival benefits. However, this depends on a number of factors that may vary over time, which must be constantly studied.
Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study that evaluated mortality and related factors in critically ill cancer patients admitted to intensive care in a tertiary referral center in Colombia for one year. A descriptive analysis was performed.
Results: Of 410 critically ill cancer patients, 232 met the inclusion criteria. 55% of the population was male and were mainly between 50 - 79 years old (mean 62.91 ± 14.3). The most frequently observed cancers were of gastrointestinal origin (26.7%), followed by hematologic cause (25.4%). At ICU discharge, 191 (82.3%) patients were alive. Among the most common causes of death, septic shock was found (26.8%), followed by multiple organ failure (14.6%). Of those who died, 70.7% had a history of surgery due to cancer, followed by hypertension and diabetes mellitus with 36.5% and 24.3%, respectively, and the most frequent indication for ICU admission was invasive mechanical ventilation in 63.4% of the cases, followed by the use of vasopressors in 60.9%.
Conclusions: This study found that the mortality of critically ill cancer patients admitted to the ICU was less than 20%. The main cause of admission was postoperative monitoring, followed by vasopressor requirement and sepsis. The main causes of death were septic shock and multiple organ failure.