Abstract
Objectives: To investigate whether the mortality rate of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery is improving, we reviewed the outcome of patients in the ICU at the National Cardiovascular Center. Methods and Patients: We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients who had died in the ICU between 1997 and 2006. The outcome and primary reasons for ICU death were then analyzed. Results: A total of 337 patients (3.3%) among the 10,086 ICU admissions died in the ICU. The annual mortality rate decreased from 5.2% in 1997 to 1.8% in 2004, when the manpower of intensivists seemed the most efficient. The primary reasons for ICU death were heart failure (35%), operation-related complication (28%), infection (15%), intestinal disorder (10%), central nervous system disorder (7%), and respiratory failure (4%). The ICU mortality rates attributed to heart failure, operation-related complication, central nervous system disorder, and respiratory failure all decreased through the observation period. However, the ICU mortality rate attributed to infection and intestinal disorder did not change. Conclusions: The outcome of cardiac surgery patients has improved, but infection and intestinal disorder complications require further attention.
