EAJAIC
Eurasian Journal of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care

The Eurasian Journal of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (EAJAIC) is an independent-unbiased, peer-reviewed, "double-blind", and open-access journal of current national and international issues and reviews for original clinical and experimental research, interesting case reports, differential diagnoses, editorial opinions, letters to the editor, and educational papers in anesthesiology, algology, and intensive care medicine.

ISSN: Active
eISSN: 3023-6738
Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.
EndNote Style

Online Manuscript System

Index
Original Article
Causes of prolonged ICU stay: a retrospective study
Abstract
Aims: Patients with prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stays constitute a significant portion of the patient population in intensive care units The aim of this study is to reveal the reasons for prolonged intensive care unit stays and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients.
Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, patients with an ICU stay exceeding 21 days were included. The parameters evaluated included age, sex, reason for ICU admission and length of stay, comorbidities, use of inotropic agents during ICU stay, requirement and duration of mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy (RRT), tracheostomy and PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) application, APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II scores, and mortality rates. The patients were divided into two groups: those who died (Group E) and those who survived (Group S).
Results: In this study, respiratory failure was identified as the most frequent reason for ICU admission. Compared with survivors, non-survivors were older, had longer ICU stays, and exhibited higher APACHE II scores. Moreover, the requirements for inotropic support, invasive mechanical ventilation, and RRT during the ICU stay were significantly greater among non-survivors. (p<0.05)
Conclusion: Identifying the causes of prolonged intensive care unit stays may help in determining high-risk patient groups and contribute positively to their prognosis. In addition, it can support intensive care management by enabling more efficient utilization of healthcare resources.

Keywords : Intensive care unit, mortality, prolonged ICU stay

Download Article


1. Marshall JC, Bosco L, Adhikari NK, et al. What is an intensive care unit? A report of the task force of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. J Crit Care. 2017;37:270-276. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2016.07.015
2. Chalfin DB, Trzeciak S, Likourezos A, Baumann BM, Dellinger RP. Impact of delayed transfer of critically ill patients from the emergency department to the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2007;35(6):1477-1483. doi:10.1097/01.CCM.0000266585.74905.5A
3. Zampieri FG, Ladeira JP, Park M, et al. Admission factors associated with prolonged (&gt;14 days) intensive care unit stay. J Crit Care. 2014; 29(1):60-65. doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2013.09.030
4. Hermann B, Hauw-Berlemont C, Augy JL, et al. Epidemiology and predictors of long-stays in medical ICU: a retrospective cohort study. J Intensive Care Med. 2021;36(9):1066-1074. doi:10.1177/ 0885066620956622
5. Martin CM, Hill AD, Burns K, Chen LM. Characteristics and outcomes for critically ill patients with prolonged intensive care unit stays. Crit Care Med. 2005;33(9):1922-1927. doi:10.1097/01.ccm. 0000178184.97813.52
6. Oliveira AB, Dias OM, Mello MM, et al. Factors associated with increased mortality and prolonged length of stay in an adult intensive care unit. Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2010;22(3):250-256. doi:10.1590/S0103-507X2010000300006
7. Tobi K, Amadasun F. Prolonged stay in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria:predisposing factors and outcome. African J Med Health Sci. 2015;14(1):56-60.
8. Aygencel G, Turkoglu M. Characteristics, outcomes and costs of prolonged stay ICU patients. Yoğun Bakım Derg. 2011;2:53-58. doi:10. 5152/dcbybd.2011.12
9. Cankar Dal H, Emir HO, Bayar A, et al. Analysis of prolonged hospitalizations in tertiary intensive care units. GKD Anest Yoğ Bak Dern Derg. 2022;28(3):269-275. doi:10.14744/GKDAD.2022.67984
10. Friedrich JO, Wilson G, Chant C. Long-term outcomes and clinical predictors of hospital mortality in very long stay intensive care unit patients: a cohort study. Crit Care. 2006;10(2):R59. doi:10.1186/cc4888
11. Esteban A, Anzueto A, Frutos F, et al. Characteristics and outcomes in adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a 28-day international study. JAMA. 2002;287(3):345-355. doi:10.1001/jama.287.3.345
12. Wunsch H, Linde-Zwirble WT, Angus DC, Hartman ME, Milbrandt EB, Kahn JM. The epidemiology of mechanical ventilation use in the United States. Crit Care Med. 2010;38(10):1947-1953. doi:10.1097/CCM. 0b013e3181ef4460
13. Drascokovic B, Rakic G. Complications of mechanical ventilation. Srp Arh Celok Lek. 2011;139(9-10):685-692. doi:10.2298/SARH1110685D
14. Küçük O, Aydemir S, Zengin M, Alagöz A. Long-term results of intensive care patients with post-intubation tracheal stenosis: 7 years follow-up. BMC Pulm Med. 2024;24(1):561. doi:10.1186/s12890-024-03384-0
15. Damuth E, Mitchell JA, Bartock JL, Roberts BW, Trzeciak S. Long-term survival of critically ill patients treated with prolonged mechanical ventilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Respir Med. 2015;3(7):544-553. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00150-2
16. Chaudhary MA, Schoenfeld AJ, Koehlmoos TP, Cooper Z, Haider AH. Prolonged ICU stay and its association with 1-year trauma mortality: an analysis of 19,000 American patients. Am J Surg. 2019;218(1):21-26. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.01.025
17. Boumendil A, Somme D, Garrouste-Orgeas M, Guidet B. Should elderly patients be admitted to the intensive care unit? Intensive Care Med. 2007;33(7):1252. doi:10.1007/s00134-007-0621-3
18. Ccedilevik B, Geyik FD. Prolonged stay in intensive care unit: retrospective analysis of predisposing factors and outcome. Turk J Intensive Care. 2019;17(2):96-101. doi:10.4274/tybd.galenos.2018.58561
19. Chung E, Chung KS, Leem AY, et al. Impact of age on mortality and transfer to long-term care in patients in an intensive care unit. BMC Geriatr. 2023;23(1):839. doi:10.1186/s12877-023-04526-5
20. Leong IY, Tai DY. Is increasing age associated with mortality in the critically ill elderly. Singapore Med J. 2002;43(1):33-36.
21. Kaur H, Chandran VP, Rashid M, et al. The significance of APACHE II as a predictor of mortality in paraquat poisoning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Forensic Leg Med. 2023;97:102548. doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2023.102548
22. Marget MJ, Dunn R, Morgan CL. Association of APACHE-II scores with 30-day mortality after tracheostomy: a retrospective study. Laryngoscope. 2023;133(2):273-278. doi:10.1002/lary.30211
23. Baldemir R, Eraslan Doğanay G, Cırık MOuml;, Uumllger G, Yurtseven G, Zengin M. The relationship between acute physiology and chronic health evaluation-II, sequential organ failure assessment, Charlson comorbidity index and nutritional scores and length of intensive care unit stay of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Health Sci Med. 2022;5(5):1399-404. doi:10.32322/jhsm.1147178
24. Godinjak A, Iglica A, Rama A, et al. Predictive value of SAPS II and APACHE II scoring systems for patient outcome in a medical intensive care unit. Acta Med Acad. 2016;45(2):97-103. doi:10.5644/ama2006-124.165
25. Gao F, Zhang Y. Inotrope use and intensive care unit mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock: an analysis of a large electronic intensive care unit database. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021;8:696138. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.696138
26. De Corte W, Dhondt A, Vanholder R, et al. Long-term outcome in ICU patients with acute kidney injury treated with renal replacement therapy: a prospective cohort study. Crit Care. 2016;20(1):256. doi:10. 1186/s13054-016-1409-z
Article available in :
Volume 2, Issue 3, 2025
Page : 103-106
https://doi.org/10.51271/EAJAIC-0038
Article Information
Received : 17 Tem 2025
Accepted : 29 Tem 2025
Published : 06 Ağu 2025
Corresponding Author :

Yusuf Özgüner: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Özgüner Y, Çataroğlu CK. Causes of prolonged ICU stay: a retrospective study. Eur J Anesthesiol Intens Care. 2025;2(3):103-106.

Read: 264
Download : 1808
Cited: 0
_Footer