PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 559 - 9 Aug 2008

Critical care resources underusedCritical care resources may be underused in high-risk

surgical patients and may result in poor outcomes forthis group, according to a UK study.

The study included data from 26 051 inpatientsurgical procedures* performed in a large NHS Trustbetween April 2002 and March 2005 to describeprovision and utilisation of critical care resources forhigh-risk surgical patients.

Of the 26 051 procedures, 2414 were deemed highrisk,** with 294 deaths (12.2%). Only 35.3% of high-riskpatients, however, were admitted to a critical care unit atany stage following surgery. Of the 294 high-riskpatients who died, only 49% were admitted to criticalcare at any time during hospitalisation; only 25.6% ofthese deaths occurred in a critical care location.

The researchers suggest that "allocation of additionalcritical care facilities to this population is likely to be acost-effective means of improving both short- and long-term outcomes".* excluding cardiothoracic and neurosurgery, day case surgery,endoscopy, organ transplantation, obstetrics and burns surgery** defined as those procedures with a mortality rate of ≥ 5%

Jhanji S, et al. Mortality and utilisation of critical care resources amongst high-risksurgical patients in a large NHS trust. Anaesthesia 63: 695-700, No. 7, Jul2008 801119783

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 9 Aug 2008 No. 5591173-5503/10/0559-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved