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The Hospital-Survival and Prognostic Factors of Patients With Solid Tumors Admitted to an ICU

Department of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

Andrew Lee, MD

Department of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

Paul E. Marik, MD, FACP, FCCM, FCCP

Division of Pulmonary and Critical care Medicine Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, paul.marik{at}jefferson.edu

The decision to admit a patient with cancer to the intensive care unit (ICU) is complex. There are limited data as to the outcome and prognostic factors of patients with solid tumors admitted to the ICU. A retrospective chart review was undertaken to evaluate this issue. Over an 18-month period, 147 patients with solid tumors were admitted to our ICU. Lung, colorectal, and breast were the commonest sites of the primary tumors, with 52% of patients having metastatic disease. A total of 79 (54%) patients survived to hospital discharge, with 50 (34%) patients being discharged to home. Metastatic disease and the requirement for vasopressor agents were independent predictors of poor outcome. The relatively high survival rate of this cohort of patients should prompt a reevaluation of the ICU admission criteria for patients with solid tumors who become critically ill.

Key Words: malignancy • cancer • ICU • critical care • outcome • hospice • prognostic markers • vasopressors • metastases

This version was published on June 1, 2008

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Vol. 25, No. 3, 240-243 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1049909108315523


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