Outcome After Admission in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay, Mortality and Quality of Life

The goals of health care are the reduction of mortality and morbidity, and the maintenance or improvement of functional capacity and quality of life. Outcome in intensive care can be categorized as mortality-related or morbidity-related. Hospital mortality is a relevant, objective endpoint and appropriate for use. However it is an insufficient measure of intensive care unit (ICU) outcome; subsequent morbidity, disability and quality of life must also be taken into account and ICU length of stay (LOS) is often used as a surrogate outcome measure for patient morbidity.