Secular trends in mortality associated with new therapeutic strategies in surgical critical illness

Background Since 1999 randomized controlled trials have shown that new therapeutic strategies, such as strict glycemic control, increased use of noninvasive ventilation and of lung-protective ventilation, and early goal-oriented shock therapy, may reduce mortality in selected groups of critically ill patients. Whether these benefits can be translated to a surgical clinical setting is unclear. We wanted to evaluate longitudinally the successive routine implementation of new therapeutic measures and its effect on postsurgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis on data collected prospectively from March 1, 1993 through February 28, 2005. Results A cohort of 1,802 consecutive cases requiring intensive care therapy for more than 4 days was analyzed. A significant decrease in mortality was observed in the last years of the study. With adjustment for relevant covariates, treatment after the implementation of new therapeutic strategies was identified as an independent factor linked with a reduced risk of death (odds ratio [OR] .518; 95% confidence interval [CI] .337–.796), whereas older age (OR 1.030; 95% CI 1.015–1.045), a high severity score on admission (OR 1.155; 95% CI 1.113–1.198) or during intensive care unit stay (OR 1.187; 95% CI 1.145–1.231), a high number of failing organs (OR 1.918; 95% CI 1.635–2.250), and peritonitis (OR 3.277; 95% CI 2.046–5.246) were independently associated with death. Conclusions Implementing of a variety of new therapeutic measures into routine care of critically ill surgical patients was associated with improved survival after 2001.