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Review
. 2023 Aug 4;13(1):68.
doi: 10.1186/s13613-023-01160-7.

The impact of age-related syndromes on ICU process and outcomes in very old patients

Hélène Vallet  1 , Bertrand Guidet  2 , Ariane Boumendil  3 , Dylan W De Lange  4 , Susannah Leaver  5 , Wojciech Szczeklik  6 , Christian Jung  7 , Sigal Sviri  8 , Michael Beil  8 , Hans Flaatten  9
Affiliations
Review

The impact of age-related syndromes on ICU process and outcomes in very old patients

Hélène Vallet et al. Ann Intensive Care. .

Abstract

In this narrative review, we describe the most important age-related "syndromes" found in the old ICU patients. The syndromes are frailty, comorbidity, cognitive decline, malnutrition, sarcopenia, loss of functional autonomy, immunosenescence and inflam-ageing. The underlying geriatric condition, together with the admission diagnosis and the acute severity contribute to the short-term, but also to the long-term prognosis. Besides mortality, functional status and quality of life are major outcome variables. The geriatric assessment is a key tool for long-term qualitative outcome, while immediate severity accounts for acute mortality. A poor functional baseline reduces the chances of a successful outcome following ICU. This review emphasises the importance of using a geriatric assessment and considering the older patient as a whole, rather than the acute illness in isolation, when making decisions regarding intensive care treatment.

Keywords: Comprehensive geriatric assessment; Critical care; Intensive care unit; Old patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

No COI related to this publication.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overlap of four different geriatric syndromes in 2789 patients from the VIP2 study [3]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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