Physiological values and procedures in the 24 h before ICU admission from the ward

Physiological values and interventions in the 24 h before entry to intensiv e care were collected for admissions from hospital wards. In a 13-month per iod, there were 79 admissions in 76 patients who had been in hospital for a t least 24 h and had not undergone surgery within 24 h of admission to inte nsive care. Thirty-four per cent of patients underwent cardiopulmonary resu scitation before intensive care admission. Using Acute Physiology and Chron ic Health Evaluation II scoring to quantify abnormal physiology in the grou p as a whole, a significant deterioration in respiratory function before ad mission was found. During the 6-h period immediately before intensive care admission, 75% of patients received oxygen, 37% underwent arterial blood ga s sampling, and oxygen saturation was measured in 61% of patients, 63% of w hom had an oxygen saturation of less than 90%. Overall hospital mortality i n the study group was 58%. Information collected on the wards identified se riously ill patients who may have benefited from earlier expert treatment.