Severe sepsis and its impact on outcome in elderly and very elderly patients admitted in intensive care unit.

Received October 7, 2010, and in revised form November 10, 2010. Accepted for publication December 7, 2010. Background: Elderly patients comprise an increasing proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. Advanced age and multiple comorbidities compromise their immunity and hence they may be more prone to succumbing to severe infection and have poorer outcome. We undertook this study to review impact of severe sepsis on mortality in the elderly patients. Methods: All patients admitted to a medical ICU of a tertiary care institute with severe sepsis or septic shock were prospectively included. Patients were divided into young (age below 60 years), old (age between 60 and 80 years), and very old (age above 80 years) groups. Data regarding baseline patient characteristics, admission APACHE II score, and ICU course including need for organ support and ICU length of stay were noted. Categorical data were analyzed using χ2 or Fisher Exact test as appropriate and continuous data were analyzed using Studen...