Gynecologic oncology patients in the surgical ICU - Impact on outcome

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factors and outcome for survival of gynecologic oncology patients in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). STUDY DESIGN: A chart review from January 1987 through May 1992 yielded 73 gynecologic oncology patients with a malignancy who had undergone surgery with a minimum stay of three days in the SICU. Of these 73 patients, 49 patients died of malignancy, 5 were alive with disease, and 19 were alive without evidence of disease. RESULTS: The median survival of the 73 patients teas 123 days; that of 48 ovarian cancer patients was 50 days. Twenty patients (27.4%) died in the hospital. CONCLUSION This study, with multivariate analysis, showed that multiple medical conditions, especially cardiac disease, and a stay of longer than five days in the SICU had a significant impact on survival, with ovarian cancer patients staying longer and having poorer survival. These results will help in triaging patients for post surgical management.