Exposure to surgery is associated with better long‐term outcomes in patients admitted to Swedish intensive care units

Abstract

Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is considered beneficial for patients with or at a high risk of developing serious pathophysiological derangements or adverse events. 1-3 Surgical patients constitute a substantial proportion of ICU patients, yet their outcomes are not well-studied. 4 It is not known which variables, including exposure to surgery prior to ICU admission, are independent risk factors for long-term mortality. This would be a clinically relevant investigation considering the equipoise regarding the value of ICU admission after non-cardiac surgery, 5 and has important implications for the allocation, distribution and cost of this limited resource. 6 Sweden has the second lowest number of ICU beds per capita in Europe and has a low ICU-to-acute care bed ratio. 7 The available