Recovery after critical illness in patients aged 80 years or older: a multi-center prospective observational cohort study

Purpose Increasingly, very old patients are admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The objective of this study was to describe 12-month outcomes of these patients and determine which characteristics are associated with a return to baseline physical function 1 year later. Methods In this prospective cohort study in 22 Canadian hospitals, we recruited 610 patients aged 80 years or older who were admitted to ICU for at least 24 h. At baseline, we completed a comprehensive geriatric assessment and followed patients to determine 12-month survival and physical function. Our primary outcome was physical recovery from critical illness at 12 months, defined as being alive with Short Form-36 physical function score of at least 10 points, and not 10 or more…