Retrospective Analysis of Elderly Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Single Center Experience.

Introduction: As in the whole world, the elderly population is increasing in Turkey and more geriatric patients are hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs). ICUs are places where expensive treatments are made and resources must be used well. There are not enough studies in Turkey on the ICU hospitalization rates and treatment outcomes of elderly patients, whose comorbidities added and life expectancy rate decreases with age. In this study, we aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of elderly patients admitted to the ICU. Materials and Methods: The medical records of the elderly patients (≥65 years old) in the ICU (July -December 2022) were retrospectively reviewed. Medical records were analyzed for age, gender, comorbidities, APACHE II scores, and outcomes.The patients were compared by dividing them into 2 groups as survived and nonsurvived. Results: A total of 843 patients were admitted to ICU during the study period, 40% (n=339) of the patients were ≥65 years old, 7.2% (n=61) were ≥85 years old. A total of 188 patients (55.5%) required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 172 patients (50.7%) received at least one vasoactive drug, and 36 patients (10.6%) required hemodialysis. The mortality rate was 41.6%. The requirament for inotropic support, hemodialysis, and IMV were significantly higher in the nonsurvived group (p=0.000 for all). The mean ICU length of stay was 14.5 days (range 1-129). Data for survived and non-survived groups are summarized in Table 1. Conclusion: High APACHE-II score, the requirement for inotropic support, hemodialysis, and IMV were found to be significantly higher in the nonsurvived group. When the response to maximal treatment isnot sufficient and survival chances with satisfactory conditions are almost non-existent, should the decision of therapeutic limitation be applied frequently? In order to answer this question, we think that more studies are needed about these topics in Turkey. These patients, who poor response to advanced treatment options, seem to have a substantial effect on ICU capacity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]