To compare clinical data of the death in different intensive care unit, in order to provide the medical strategies for patients in EICU.

The clinical data of lethal cases from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 in EICU, SICU and MICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were compared. EICU(252 cases), SICU(93 cases) and MICU (80 cases) were enrolled. The demographics of each patient, clinical condition such as critical score (APACHEⅡ score), length of stay, overall costs, and the patient families’ different opinions to the treatment in each ICU were analyzed. The data was analyzed with SPSS 13.0 software, averaged value was presented as mean±standard and the non-normal distributions were expressed as median(25%, 75%). The one-way analysis of variance was followed by the Tukey post hoc test for pairwise comparisons and chi-square test was used for comparison of percentage between two groups.

Two hundred and fifty-two cases in EICU had gender ration of 148/96 (male/female), 92 cases in SICU 68/24, 80 cases in MICU 56/24. Ages of the fatal were EICU 72±17 years, SICU 56±17 years, and MICU 63±20 years, respectively. Age of the fatal in EICU was significantly older than that of the SICU(P<0.01)and the MICU(P<0.01). APACHE Ⅱ scores were 33±8 in EICU, 34±10 in SICU, 29±10 in MICU, respectively. The severity scores in EICU patients were higher than those in MICU patients and SICU patients(P=0.01 and 0.021). Lengths of stay were 2 days (1, 46) in EICU, 14 days (1, 84) in SICU, 12 days (1, 77) in MICU, respectively. EICU hospitalization time was significantly shorter than that of SICU(P<0.01)and the MICU(P<0.01). Total costs of hospitalization were 9 777 yuan (400, 164 126)yuan in EICU, 100 628 yuan (13 639, 964 783)yuan in SICU, 119 463 yuan (5 650, 590 903)yuan in MICU, and that in EICU was significantly less than the total cost of hospitalization in SICU(P<0.01)and in MICU(P<0.01). The opinion of patient families was proposed to give up treatment associated with 165 dead cases in EICU, 18 death cases in SICU and 20 dead cases in MICU, and the rate of discontinuous treatment in EICU patients was significantly greater than that in SICU(P<0.01)and in MICU(P<0.01). There were no significant differences in invasive procedures, invasive hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical ventilation, blood purification and deep vein puncture among three groups. The 5 leading causes in EICU were severe sepsis, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction and advanced malignancy.

The death of patients were due to advanced age with severe disease, poor prognosis, and the request of patient family members to give up treatment. The 5 leading causes were severe sepsis, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction and advanced tumors suggesting the establishment of corresponding treatment scheme to be made and preparation of abundant medical resources to be ready. Timely communication with the patients’ families and let them participate in end-stage treatment decisions was the best strategies to improve the successful rate of treating severe patients and use EICU resource effectively.

Emergency intensive care unit; Death; Patients; Clinical characteristics