Elderly patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in and out of intensive care units: a comparative prospective study of 579 ventilations

摘要

IntroductionMany mechanically ventilated elderly patients in Israel are treated outside of intensive care units (ICUs). The decision as to whether these patients should be treated in ICUs is reached without clear guidelines. We therefore conducted a study with the aim of identifying triage criteria and factors associated with in-hospital mortality in this population.