Outcomes of Cancer Patients Discharged From ICU After a Decision to Forgo Life-Sustaining Therapies.

OBJECTIVES: Many cancer patients are admitted to an ICU and decisions to forgo life-sustaining therapies are frequent during ICU stay. A significant proportion of these patients are subsequently discharged from ICU, but their outcomes are unknown.

DESIGN: Retrospective.

SETTING: ICU of oncological hospital.

PATIENTS: Adult cancer patients admitted to ICU, then with a decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies and that were discharged from ICU.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Hospital mortality, long-term survival, recommencement of cancer treatment, and ICU readmission were recorded. Hospital mortality predictors were evaluated. The propensity score method was used to test the hypothesis that decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies was independently associated with hospital mortality. Among the 16,998 patients that were admitted to ICU, in 1,369 patients (8.1%) a decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies was made during ICU stay. Among the latter group, 507 were discharged from ICU and were examined in this study. The hospital mortality of this group was 80.1% and was independently predicted according to the occurrence of delirium or acute kidney injury during their ICU stay. Six-month and 12-month survival rates were 3.6% and 0.6%. Sixty-four patients (12.6%) resumed cancer treatment and had a longer survival (p < 0.01). Fifty-two patients (10.3%) were readmitted to ICU and had a longer survival (p < 0.01). The decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies was associated with higher hospital mortality (80.0% vs 26.3%, respectively; p < 0.01) and lower rates of survival (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 20% of cancer patients discharged from our ICU after a decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies were discharged from hospital. Delirium and acute kidney injury during ICU stay were predictors of hospital mortality. The decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies was independently associated with hospital mortality. Patients readmitted to the ICU and those that resumed cancer treatment had longer survival. Knowledge of these outcomes is important for providing proper therapeutic planning and counseling for patients and their relatives.