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Objective: To analyse the influence on the prognosis of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI): prognostic index score, Killip class, AMI site, thrombolysis and other variables that might improve prognostic capacity and functioning of the APACHE-II index., Design: Cohort study using prospectively gathered ARIAM project data., Setting: ICUs from 129 Spanish hospitals., Patients: ICU-admitted AMI patients in ARIAM database during 4-year period were retrospectively studied., Measurements and Main Results: The sample comprised 6,458 patients, 76.8% males, age 64.97 +/- 12.56 years, APACHE-II score 9.49 +/- 7.03 points and ICU mortality 8.9%. Mortality was higher for females (p < 0.001), anterior AMI site (p < 0.001), previous AMI (p < 0.001), delay-to-hospital arrival >180 min (p = 0.003) and non-receipt of thrombolysis (p = 0.015). ICU mortality was related to age (p < 0.001) and APACHE-II score (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, it was related to APACHE-II (OR 1.16), age (OR 1.05), gender (OR 1.64), previous AMI (OR 1.57), anterior AMI (OR 2.05) and delay >180 min (OR 1.37). Killip class, gathered in 1,893 patients, was significantly associated with ICU mortality, and two predictive models were constructed for this group using multivariate analysis. Area under ROC curve was 0.94 in one (Killip class, age, gender, APACHE-II) versus 0.92 in the other (same variables without APACHE-II)., Conclusions: APACHE-II score and Killip class are useful for assessing the severity of patients with AMI and are complementary. Each can be used with a few commonly gathered clinical variables to construct prognostic models to assess severity. Their joint application yields a model with excellent discrimination capacity.

Objectives: To analyse 1-year mortality and functional disability outcomes and resource use in critical stroke patients admitted to ICU., Design and Setting: Multi-centre, prospective, observational study in 28 Spanish hospitals. PATIENTS. Patients admitted for acute stroke from March-August 1999., Intervention: Collection of data on: severity by Apache III and Glasgow Coma Score; neurological lesion, hospital and 1-year mortality; functional disability at 1 year by Barthel Index and Glasgow Outcome Scale; ICU length of stay, life support techniques, and neurosurgical interventions., Measurement and Results: We studied 132 patients: 21% with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), 58% intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), 20% ischaemic stroke (ISC); Apache III 63+/-29 ICU stay 13+/-12 days; 74% required mechanical ventilation. Hospital and 1-year mortality was 33% (22%:ISC, 32%:SAH, 37%:ICH) and 53.8% (66%:ISC, 39%:SAH, 54%:ICH), respectively. Age, APACHE III, and diagnosis defined hospital mortality. Age, APACHE III, and Glasgow Coma Score defined 1-year mortality. Barthel Index score improved ( P<0.001) between discharge and 1 year; 73% of patients presented severe disability at discharge vs. 26% at 1 year; 8% minimal/no disability at discharge vs. 43.3% at 1 year. Only 17% of subarachnoid haemorrhage patients presented severe disability at 1 year. Admission Apache III and hospital-discharge Barthel Index scores were related to functional outcome at 1 year., Conclusions: Critical stroke patients are characterized by high severity of illness, elevated resource consumption, and poor outcomes that are mainly influenced by severity and age. Glasgow Coma Score-measured neurological severity is the main determinant of future functional capacity, which is greater at 1 year.

Objectives: To study the factors that influence the intensive care unit (ICU) mortality of trauma patients who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to evaluate determinants of length of ICU stay among these patients., Design: Study on a prospective cohort of 59 trauma patients that developed ARDS., Setting: ICU of a referral trauma center. Fifty-nine patients were included during the study period from 1994 to 1997., Methods: The dependent variables studied were the mortality and length of ICU stay. The main independent variables studied included the general severity score APACHE III, the revised trauma and injury severity scores (RTS, ISS), emergency treatment measures, the gas exchange index (PaO2/FIO2) recorded after the onset of ARDS and the development of multiple system organ failure (MSOF). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed., Results: The mean age of patients was 42.1 +/- 16.7 years, 49 patients (83 %) were male, the mean APACHE III score was 52.7 +/- 33.7 points, the ISS 28.5 +/- 11.4 points and the RTS 8.9 +/- 2.5 points. ICU length of stay was 28.5 +/- 24.5 days and the mortality rate 31.7 % (19 deaths). Mortality was associated with the following: PaO2/FIO2 ratio on the 3rd, 5th and 7th days post-ARDS; high volume of crystalloid/colloid infusion during resuscitation; the APACHE III score; and the development of MSOF According to the multivariate analysis, the mortality of these patients was correlated with the PaO2/FIO2 ratio on the 3rd day of ARDS, the APACHE III score and the development of MSOF. This analysis also showed days on mechanical ventilation to be the only variable that predicted ICU length of stay., Conclusions: The ICU mortality of trauma patients with ARDS is related to the APACHE III score, the gas exchange evolution as measured by the PaO2/FIO2 on the 3rd day and the progressive complications indicated by the onset of MSOF. The length of ICU stay of these patients is related to the number of days on mechanical ventilation.

Objective: To customize the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III mortality equation for Spanish admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluate its discrimination and calibration., Design: Prospective multicenter inception cohort study., Setting: 86 ICUs located in all regions of Spain., Patients: 10,929 adult patients selected by a systematic sampling method. All types of critical care patients were included, including coronary bypass patients, but excluding those with burn injury, those admitted for pacemaker implants, patients under 16 years of age, and patients with length of ICU stay < 6 h., Measurements and Results: Data collection in the first 24 h after patient admission included: APACHE III score, treatment location prior to ICU admission, and main ICU admission diagnosis. Using these variables, a model for predicting hospital mortality was constructed, adapted to Spain, and its discriminating ability was assessed by the area below the ROC curve, which was 0.83. The model was validated using the jacknife method and the area below the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the cross-validated predictions was 0.82. The percentage of patients correctly classified at 0.50 risk of death was 82.3%. Model calibration was evaluated by analysis of the agreement between the observed and cross-validated predicted mortality using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, which gave a value of (H) 12.27, with no statistical significance, i.e., good calibration., Conclusions: We have customized the APACHE III mortality prediction system for the Spanish population. This adapted model has demonstrated the requisite validation, calibration, and discrimination for its use among Spanish critical care patients.

The use of extrinsic positive end expiratory pressure (PEEPe) in patients with auto-PEEP (AP) can reduce the respiratory work during weaning from mechanical ventilation. However, the application of PEEPe can produce a certain level of hyperinflation, an undesirable effect which can limit the efficacy of the reduction of respiratory work. The objective of the present study has been to determine if the increase in end expiratory lung volume (EELV) originated by the PEEPe is related to static lung compliance (SLC). We have studied 14 patients on mechanical ventilation in whom an AP of between 4 and 12 cmH2O was detected. On applying PEEPe equal to half the AP, the EELV increased slightly (77 +/- 64 ml) and was not related to pulmonary compliance. When PEEPe equal to the AP was applied, the EELV increased by 178 +/- 110 ml (range 45-375 ml, p less than 0.05), and there was a significant correlation with SLC (r = 0.659, p less than 0.05). In conclusion, the application of PEEPe equal to the AP causes a moderate increase in EELV. However, in patients with high pulmonary compliance this increase can be more important and must be taken into account when considering the use of PEEPe during weaning.