This study aimed at assessing the profile of patients aged > 60 years admitted into intensive care units (ICU) in the city of Rio Grande, Southern Brazil. A cross-sectional survey was carried out between April/2007 and March/2008 in two hospitals. Family members answered a standardized questionnaire that collected data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, household conditions, use of healthcare services and current clinical conditions. Among the 213 elderly people included in the study, about 90% came from Rio Grande, were married, aged 70 years or more, had at least five years of schooling, earned two or more minimum wages, owned their house, and did not have health insurance; 88% had had a medical appointment in the previous six months and 56% a hospital admission in the previous 12 months; half of them were unconscious when they were admitted into the ICU; most of them came from the same hospital and were put on mechanical ventilation; for 45%, the mean duration of ICU stay was 8 days before death. This study shows that it is possible to identify elderly individuals with the highest potential to be admitted in intensive care units based on their socioeconomic and environmental conditions.
Elderly; Geriatrics; Elderly patients; Hospitalizations; Intensive care unit; Intensive treatment; Outcome
