Emergency and postoperative access to critical and enhanced care: a multicentre prospective observational study*

Abstract

The ability to admit patients to enhanced or critical care may be limited by bed availability. In a network with low provision of critical and enhanced care beds, we aimed to assess the proportion of patients having surgery with moderate (1%–< 5%) or high (≥ 5%) predicted risk of 30-day postoperative mortality and their postoperative care location. We also aimed to study referral and admission outcomes to critical care.