Severity and Mortality in Intensive Care Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Since time immemorial, the word "severity" has been used in medicine to describe the patient's condition in relation to their health. This leads us to ask, how can we measure severity? While the answer is broad, in intensive care units, scales are commonly used to guide healthcare professionals on this matter. This analysis focuses on determining whether these scales are reliable in assessing severity and what variables influence it. Additionally, due to the high correlation, the study aimed to determine whether patient mortality is affected by severity. Materials and Methods: A review of medical records from the Manuel Belgrano and Santojanni hospitals in the intensive care units was conducted to assess patient severity using the SOFA and APACHE 2 scales and their respective variables. This was based on an observational study aimed at collecting data. Results: Data from 20 patients from the Manuel Belgrano and Santojanni hospitals were collected to evaluate the variables influencing severity through the scales, as well as their mortality. It was found that the most important variables were the use of vasopressors upon admission, the need for mechanical ventilation, and age. A total of 7 out of the 20 patients died, resulting in a mortality rate of 35%. Conclusion: Thanks to the information obtained, we can conclude that the analyzed variables have a risk of less than 1, indicating that those exposed to them have a lower risk of mortality. Additionally, based on the analysis in other articles and the research conducted in this one, we deduce that the SOFA and APACHE 2 scales, with higher scores, indicate greater severity.