The Influence of Potential Organ Donors on Standardized Mortality Ratios and ICU Benchmarking*
Main finding · Ratio of SMR without PODs to SMR with PODsResult — go to the resultRatio of SMR 0.96 95% CI 0.93–0.99Authors' conclusion
Despite their relatively small overall number, PODs make up a large proportion of ICU patients who die. PODs cause bias in SMRs and in ICU benchmarking.
Study context
- Population
- ICU patients, 20 ICUs in Finland, Estonia and Switzerland, 2015–2017
- Participants
- 60,047 patients · 20 ICUs
- Exposure
- Cohort without potential organ donors (PODs) vs cohort with PODs
- Outcome
- Ratio of SMR without PODs to SMR with PODs
Methodological detailsPreviously validated mortality risk model used to calculate standardized mortality ratio (SMRs)
- Previously validated mortality risk model used to calculate SMRs
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Ratio of SMR
0.96
95% CI 0.93–0.99
- Benchmarking results changed in ICUs after excluding PODs
- 70%
- PODs among ICU admissions
- 514 (0.9%)
- PODs who died
- 477 (93%)
- POD deaths as share of 6738 in-hospital deaths
- 7%
- POD admission rates across ICUs (per 1000 admissions)
- 0.5 to 18.3
- Predicted vs observed in-hospital mortality for PODs
- 39% vs 93%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
The Influence of Potential Organ Donors on Standardized Mortality Ratios and ICU Benchmarking*. Crit Care Med. Published 9 November 2023. doi:10.
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