Anaesthesia 2002 Sep;57(9):944-945
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PMID: 12190772
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Anaesthesia 2002 Sep;57(9):882-8
Specialist Registrar, Department of Anaesthesia, King's Healthcare NHS Trust, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS, UK Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King's College, London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK.
[Medline record in process]
The Human Rights Act 1998 was incorporated into UK statutory law on October 2, 2000. The 18 Articles of the Act are likely to have a significant impact on the practice of medicine in the UK, particularly in reference to consent, disclosure of medical information and patient access to healthcare. This article examines the implications of the new legislation for anaesthetic and intensive care practice.
PMID: 12190753, UI: 22178146
Intensive Care Med 2002 Aug;28(8):1110-6
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway, reidar.kvaale@haukeland.no
OBJECTIVES. To study changes in a single intensive care unit (ICU) over a 10year period and to investigate possible concomitant changes in outcome. SETTING. The ICU populations in 1987 and 1997 in a university hospital. DESIGN AND METHODS. Prospective and retrospective cohort study. The ICU database was used for comparison of the ICU populations, and SAPS II-estimated hospital survival was compared with observed survival. Threeyear follow-up survival (the Peoples Registry) was compared with population survival (Statistics Norway). In the year 2000 the Short Form 36 (SF 36) questionnaire was used for quality of life (QOL) measurement. Results were compared with a reference population. INTERVENTIONS. None. RESULTS. From 1987 to 1997 the numbers of patients and stays increased from 219 and 236 to 338 and 370. ICU activity per stay increased considerably, but length of stay remained unchanged (6.0 versus 5.9 days). The 1997 ICU patients were, on average, older (50.3 versus 46.0 years) and more severely ill (SAPS II 42.7 versus 34.7). They had a higher crude mortality, but the time from admission to when the observed mortality reached the predicted mortality was longer, indicating an increased survival length. Two years after intensive care, there was no excess mortality compared with population survival in either cohort. QOL was significantly reduced in both cohorts compared to population scores. CONCLUSIONS. This study indicates that the increased intensive care activity over the 10year period was associated with a prolonged severity-adjusted survival. QOL was still reduced 3 and 13 years after ICU, compared to population scores.
PMID: 12185433, UI: 22172727
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