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Byline: Frank Kroschinsky (1), Matthias Weise (1), Thomas Illmer (1), Mathias Haenel (1), Martin Bornhaeuser (1), Gert Hoeffken (1), Gerhard Ehninger (1), Ulrich Schuler (1) Keywords: Hematological malignancy Life-threatening complication Prognostic factors Outcome Simplified Acute Physiology Score II Abstract: Abstract Objective. To assess the outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment in patients with hematological malignancies. Design and setting. Retrospective cohort study in the medical ICU of a university hospital. Patients. 104 critically ill patients after receiving conventional chemotherapy or autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Interventions. We analyzed demographic data, underlying disease, intensity of antineoplastic regimen, cause of admission, need for mechanical ventilation, and hemofiltration, ICU survival, and survival after discharge, furthermore neutrophil count, C-reactive protein (a$?150 vs. >150 mg/l), antithrombin III, prothrombin time, and SAPS II (a$?50 vs. >50) at ICU admission. All recorded variables were evaluated for prognostic relevance by univariate and multivariate analyses. Measurements and results. Overall ICU mortality was 44%, with significantly higher mortality in ventilated patients (74% vs. 12% in nonventilated patients, p Conclusions. The outcome of patients not requiring ventilatory support in this study was encouraging, while invasive ventilation was again confirmed as predicting a dismal prognosis in this population. Efforts should be directed to avoiding this procedure by reducing the pulmonary toxicity of antineoplastic treatment and to making ventilatory support more tolerable. Author Affiliation: (1) Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Universitatsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universitat, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany Article History: Received Date: 07/05/2001 Accepted Date: 14/06/2002 Article note: Electronic Publication