Published in:
01-10-2014 | Pro Editorial
Has survival increased in cancer patients admitted to the ICU? Yes
Authors:
Djamel Mokart, Stephen M. Pastores, Michael Darmon
Published in:
Intensive Care Medicine
|
Issue 10/2014
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Excerpt
Intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients with cancer has long been controversial. Studies performed in the early 1990s demonstrated high mortality rates in cancer patients admitted to the ICU, especially among those with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, neutropenic sepsis, and in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients [
1,
2]. Additionally, a lack of cost-effectiveness was noted and some authors argued that denial of ICU admission could avoid futile care and unwarranted aggressive therapy in dying patients [
3,
4]. …