From: Quality of transition to end-of-life care for cancer patients in the intensive care unit
Characteristic | Full active ICU care n = 47 | EOLC n = 38 | P value |
---|---|---|---|
Age, median (range) in years | 59 (19–88) | 66.5 (28–81) | 0.017 |
Gender, n (%) | M 21 (44.7%) | M 19 (50.0%) | 0.62 |
F 26 (55.3%) | F 19 (50.0%) | ||
APACHE II score median (range) | 16 (5–31) | 21 (10–47) | <0.0001 |
Type of cancer, n (%) | |||
Solid tumour | 35 (74.5%) | 24 (63.2%) | 0.26 |
Haematological tumour | 12 (25.5%) | 14 (36.8%) | 0.26 |
Stage of disease, n (%)* | |||
No known spread | 7 (14.9%) | 6 (15.8%) | 0.92 |
Local spread (spread to neighbouring tissues) | 7 (14.9%) | 2 (5.3%) | 0.14 |
Nodal spread (spread to lymph nodes) | 7 (14.9%) | 5 (13.2%) | 0.82 |
Distant metastases | 23 (48.9%) | 21 (55.3%) | 0.47 |
Cancer treatment, n (%) | |||
Chemotherapy | 32 (68%) | 29 (76.3%) | 0.4 |
Radiotherapy | 11 (23.4%) | 4 (10.5) | 0.16 |
Palliative treatment (definitions in text) | 19 (43.1%) | 17 (44.7%) | 0.69 |
Curative treatment (definitions in text) | 22 (46.8%) | 16 (42.1%) | 0.66 |
No treatment | 6 (12.8%) | 3 (7.9%) | 0.51 |
Reason for ICU admission, n (%)** | |||
Respiratory failure | 19 (40.4%) | 17 (44.7%) | 0.69 |
Renal failure | 10 (21.3%) | 9 (23.7%) | 0.79 |
Cardiac | 7 (14.9%) | 3 (7.9%) | 0.5 |
Sepsis | 11 (23.4%) | 12 (31.6%) | 0.4 |
Neurology | 2 (4.3%) | 1 (2.6%) | 0.69 |
Other | 8 (17.0%) | 7 (18.4%) | 0.73 |
Time of referral to ICU, n (%) | |||
Out of hours | 22 (46.8%) | 16 (42.1%) | 0.82 |
Weekend | 11 (23.4%) | 6 (15.8%) | 0.55 |
Organ support required during ICU stay, n (%) | |||
Invasive ventilation | 6 (12.8%) | 17 (44.7%) | 0.001 |
Vasopressors | 13 (27.7%) | 21 (55.3%) | 0.014 |
Renal replacement therapy (RRT) | 4 (8.5%) | 11 (28.9%) | 0.021 |
Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) | 9 (19.1%) | 12 (31.6%) | 0.19 |
Baseline performance status documented, n (%) | 18 (38.3%) | 16 (45.7%) | 0.72 |
Need for symptom control in ICU, n (%) | 27 (57.0%) | 27 (71.0%) | 0.19 |
Seen by palliative care in ICU, n (%) | 7 (19.1%) | 20 (52.6%) | 0.001 |
Cancer prognosis documented prior to ICU, n (%) | 10 (21.2%) | 4 (10.5%) | 0.15 |