Acceptable long-term outcome in elderly intensive care unit patients.

Introduction: The number of elderly intensive care unit (ICU) patients is increasing. We therefore assessed the long-term outcome in the elderly following intensive care.

Material and methods: The outcome status for 91 elderly (=75 years) and 659 nonelderly (18-74 years) ICU patients treated in the course of a one year period was obtained. A total of 36 of 37 eligible elderly survivors were interviewed about their health related quality of life (HRQOL), social services and their wish for intensive care.

Results: The mortality (54% at follow-up and 64% after one year) was higher in the elderly ICU patients than in non-elderly ICU patients (33% and 37%, respectively, p<0.001) and than in the Danish background population≥75 years (9%, p<0.001). Elderly ICU survivors had significantly lower HRQOL scores in two of four physical domains and a lower physical component summary score than age matched controls (38 (31-46) versus 43 (36-52), p=0.01). However, ICU survivors scored like controls in three of four mental domains and higher than controls in "mental health" (p=0.04). At follow-up, 89% had returned to live in their own home.

Conclusion: Elderly ICU patients had high long-term mortality rates and survivors had impaired physical function. Nevertheless, their mental function was in line with that of the background population and the majority had returned to their home and wished intensive care again.

Funding: The study was supported only by Rigshospitalet's Research Council.

Trial registration: Not relevant.