Criteria predicting bad outcome before transfer to a critical care unit

The charts of 225 hospitalized patients who were transferred into a critical care unit were reviewed to variables that might be useful for identifying a bad outcome by the time of discharge or 6-month follow-up. An age of more than 65 years, the pre-hospital admission function status, the presence of hypotension, and respiratory decompensation individually correlated well with a bad outcome. Combinations of these variables were capable of identifying individuals who were almost certain to have a bad outcome. We conclude that charts and nomograms can be created applying simple and readily available objective data that will permit physicians with triage responsibility for critical care units to limit access for some patients.