Determinants of outcomes for medical cases admitied at muhimbili national hospital intensive care unit

Abstract

A six months descriptive prospective study was done to determine the factors, Which influence the outcomes of medical cases admitted in Muhimbili National Hospital ICU, from 1st March 2002 to 31st August 2002. In the study the following data were collected. Patient's age, sex, diagnosis, length of ICU stay, number of physicians visits and the patient outcome. 43 medical cases were admitted during this period 26 patients (60.5%) were males and 17 (39.5%) were females. The overall mortality was 58.1%. Medical admissions during this period by descending order was, tetanus (44.2%), stroke (14.0%), dilated cardiomyopathy (9.3%), chronic renal failure (7.0%), status epilepticus, status asthmaticus, pneumonia each (4.7%). The rest were constrictive pericarditis, diabetic mellitus, AIDS, meningitis and cerebral malaria each accounted for 2.3% of cases. Tetanus, stroke and chronic renal failure patients were found to be associated with poor ICU outcomes. Age, sex, length of ICU stay and number of physicians visit were not seen to be associated with the patients outcome.