Use of life support and outcomes among patients admitted to intensive care units

IMPORTANCE: Nationwide data are unavailable regarding changes in intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes and use of life support over the past 10 years, limiting understanding of practice changes.

OBJECTIVE: To portray the epidemiology of US critical care before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted to an ICU for any reason, using data from the 54 US health systems continuously contributing to the Epic Cosmos database from 2014-2023.

EXPOSURES: Patient demographics, COVID-19 status, and pandemic era.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: In-hospital mortality unadjusted and adjusted for patient demographics, comorbidities, and illness severity; ICU length of stay; and receipt of life-support interventions, including mechanical ventilation and vasopressor medications.

RESULTS: Of 3 453 687 admissions including ICU care, median age was 65 (IQR, 53-75) years. Patients were 55.3% male; 17.3% Black and 6.1% Hispanic or Latino; and overall in-hospital mortality was 10.9%. The adjusted in-hospital mortality was elevated during the pandemic in COVID-negative (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.3 [95% CI, 1.2-1.3]) and COVID-positive (aOR, 4.3 [95% CI, 3.8-4.8]) patients and returned to baseline by mid-2022. The median ICU length of stay was 2.1 (IQR, 1.1-4.2) days, with increases during the pandemic among COVID-positive patients (difference for COVID-positive vs COVID-negative patients, 2.0 days [95% CI, 2.0-2.1]). Rates of invasive mechanical ventilation were 23.2% (95% CI, 23.1%-23.2%) before the pandemic, increased to 25.8% (95% CI, 25.8%-25.9%) during the pandemic, and declined below prepandemic baseline thereafter (22.0% [95% CI, 21.9%-22.2%]). The use of vasopressors increased from 7.2% to 21.6% of ICU stays.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Pandemic-era increases in length of stay and adjusted in-hospital mortality among US ICU patients returned to recent historical baselines. Fewer patients are now receiving mechanical ventilation than prior to the pandemic, while more patients are administered vasopressor medications.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Emily E Moin, Nicholas J Seewald, Scott D Halpern