Research Article
Characteristics, Outcomes, and Cost Patterns of High-Cost Patients in the Intensive Care Unit
| | High cost () | Non-high cost () | value |
| Age, mean years (SD) | 60.7 (16.3) | 62.3 (17.3) | 0.012 | Category (%) | 18–45 | 17.3 | 15.9 | 0.274 | 46–69 | 51.2 | 46.3 | 0.113 | 70–79 | 20.7 | 21.4 | 0.845 | 80+ | 10.8 | 16.4 | 0.007 | Sex, male | 59.6 | 56.1 | 0.063 | Elixhauser comorbidity score (total) | 6.12 | 5.28 | <0.001 | Congestive heart failure | 14.8 | 9.1 | <0.001 | Pulmonary circulation disorder | 5.6 | 3.5 | 0.003 | Peripheral vascular disorder | 10.1 | 10.8 | 0.527 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 19.0 | 12.4 | <0.001 | Diabetes | 25.7 | 26.4 | 0.658 | Renal failure | 8.9 | 5.3 | <0.001 | Liver disease | 6.6 | 5.4 | 0.185 | Metastatic cancer | 5.5 | 7.2 | 0.075 | Solid tumour without metastases | 13.3 | 13.3 | 0.988 | Emergency Department visits within 12 months, mean | 3.1 | 2.8 | 0.201 | Intensive Care Unit admissions within 12 months, mean | 1.3 | 1.0 | <0.001 | LOS, median days (IQR) | Acute LOS | 38 (17–74) | 4 (1–11) | <0.001 | ICU LOS | 26 (17–38) | 4 (2–8) | <0.001 | Total LOS | 68 (49–103) | 10 (4–20) | <0.001 | Disposition (%) | Home | 23.9 | 45.2 | <0.001 | Signed out against medical advice | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.029 | Transferred to acute care | 21.1 | 13.9 | 0.003 | Transferred to long-term care | 35.1 | 12.1 | <0.001 | In-hospital mortality | 21.1 | 28.4 | <0.001 |
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SD: standard deviation; LOS: length of stay; IQR: interquartile range.
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