Dados do Trabalho

Título

Advanced Life Support in Oncology Intensive Care Units: A Prospective Observational Study

Objetivo

The survival rate of cancer patients has increased in recent decades, leading to a growing number of admissions to intensive care units (ICUs) and artificial life support, often with questionable indications. Our aim was to evaluate the context of advanced life support in a public oncology hospital and the outcomes of patients.

Métodos

We conducted a prospective observational study in the Intensive Care Unit of Dr. Gilson de Cássia Marques de Carvalho Municipal Hospital. Adult patients with a cancer diagnosis requiring intensive care were included consecutively. Clinical data, severity scores, indication of invasive procedures, indication of palliative care and costs related to hospitalization were collected. The evaluated outcomes were ICU length of stay, indication of palliative care during ICU stay, and all-cause mortality.

Resultados

A total of 113 oncology patients admitted to the ICU were included in the study, with a mean age of 60 years and 60.2% male. The main reasons for admission were organic dysfunction or clinical complications, accounting for 72.6% of cases. Most patients required intensive support (61.9%) and utilized invasive devices (76.1%). Palliative care was indicated for 40 (35.4%) patients. In the non-palliative care group, the mortality rate was 10.3%, and in the palliative care group, it was 42.2% (p<0.001). The median ICU length of stay was 3 [2 - 6] days, and the total ICU mortality was 23%.

Conclusão

The high prevalence of palliative care recommendations in the ICU may indicate an inappropriate use of intensive care resources for these patients.