Mortality of Critically Ill Cancer Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A 1-Year Cross-Sectional Study in Colombia

Introduction: Admission to intensive care unit (ICU) of critically ill cancer patients is controversial because of their prognosis, although there is evidence showing short- and medium-term survival benefits. However, this depends on a number of factors that may vary over time, which must be constantly studied.
Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study that evaluated mortality and related factors in critically ill cancer
patients admitted to intensive care in a tertiary referral center in Colombia for one year. A descriptive analysis
was performed.
Results: Of 410 critically ill cancer patients, 232 met the inclusion criteria. 55% of the population was male and were mainly between 50 - 79 years old (mean 62.91 ± 14.3). The most frequently observed cancers were of gastrointestinal origin (26.7%), followed by hematologic cause (25.4%). At ICU discharge, 191 (82.3%) patients were alive. Among the most common causes of death, septic shock was found (26.8%), followed by multiple organ failure (14.6%). Of those who died, 70.7% had a history of surgery due to cancer, followed by hypertension and diabetes mellitus with 36.5% and 24.3%, respectively, and the most frequent indication for ICU admission was invasive mechanical ventilation in 63.4% of the cases, followed by the use of vasopressors
in 60.9%. Conclusions: This study found that the mortality of critically ill cancer patients admitted to the ICU was less than 20%. The main cause of admission was postoperative monitoring, followed by vasopressor requirement and sepsis. The main causes of death were septic shock and multiple organ failure.