ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
Use of Life Support and Outcomes Among Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units
Authors' conclusion
Pandemic-era increases in length of stay and adjusted in-hospital mortality among US ICU patients returned to recent historical baselines. Fewer patients are now receiving mechanical ventilation than prior to the pandemic, while more patients are administered vasopressor medications.
Study context
- Population
- Adults admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for any reason, 54 US health systems (Epic Cosmos database), 2014–2023admissions including ICU care
- Participants
- 3,453,687 adults
- Exposure
- Pandemic era and COVID-19 status
- Outcome
- In-hospital mortality, unadjusted and adjusted for demographics, comorbidities and illness severity
Methodological detailsmulticentre
- Multicentre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
In-hospital mortality
Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)
COVID-negative
1.3(1.2–1.3)
COVID-positive
4.3(3.8–4.8)
- Overall in-hospital mortality
- 10.9%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Difference (days) (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| ICU LOSCOVID-positive vs COVID-negative · during the pandemic | 2.0 (2.0–2.1) | |
| −10123Difference, days (linear scale) |
| Outcome | Prepandemic | Pandemic | Postpandemic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 23.2% (95% CI 23.1%–23.2%) | 25.8% (95% CI 25.8%–25.9%) | 22.0% (95% CI 21.9%–22.2%) |
ICU LOS
- Overall median ICU LOS 2.1 (IQR, 1.1-4.2) days
Vasopressor use (% of ICU stays)
- Increased from 7.2% to 21.6% of ICU stays
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Use of Life Support and Outcomes Among Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units. JAMA. Published 27 May 2025. doi:10.
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