Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the mortality rates and the influential factors in the respiratory intensive care unit (ICU). We prospectively evaluated a total of 150 patients consecutively admitted with respiratory failure between May 2003 and May 2005 in Trakya University Hospital, and 135 patients were enrolled in the study. The patients excluded from the study were the ones who died within the first 24 hours of ICU (n: 8), or had malignant diseases (n: 7). Chi-square test and t-test were used to compare hospital survivors with non-survivors, and logistic regression analysis was performed to define independent factors influencing the mortality rates in the hospital. To determine the efficiency of APACHE II, ROC analysis was used. 92 of the patients were male and 43 were female. The mean age was 64.9±12.9 years. The mortality rate was 32.6% (n: 44). The highest mortality rate was in patients with severe pneumonia/sepsis. (54.2%). The main conditions independently associated with increased mortality rate were arrhythmias (odds ratio [OR] , 8.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.67 – 24.58; p < 0.05), the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (OR , 6.04; 95% CI, 1.88 – 19.34; p < 0.05), the need for cardiotonic medication (OR: 5.36; %95 CI: 1.67 – 17.22, p<0.05)and ventilator-associated pneumonia (OR: 5-21; 95%CI: 1.54-17.63; p < 0.05).