Rationale: Many studies of critical illness outcomes have been restricted to short-term outcomes, selected diagnoses, and patients in one or a few intensive care units (ICUs).
Objectives: Evaluate a range of relevant outcomes in a population-based cohort of patients admitted to ICUs.
Methods: Among all adult residents of the Canadian province of Manitoba admitted to ICUs over a 9-year period, we assessed ICU, hospital, 30-day, and 180-day mortality rates; ICU and hospital lengths-of-stay; post-hospital use of hospital care, ICU care, outpatient physician care, medications, and home care; and post-hospital residence location. We explored data stratified by age, sex, and separate categories of geocoded income for urban and rural residents. For post-hospital use variables we compared ICU patients with those admitted to hospitals without the need for ICU care.
Measurements and Main Results: After ICU admission there was a high initial death rate, which declined between 30 and 180 days and thereafter remained at the lower value. Hospital mortality was 19.0%, with 21.7% dying within 6 months of ICU admission. Women had higher hospital mortality than men