Increased Mortality and Costs Associated with Adverse Events in Intensive Care Unit Patients

Adverse events (AEs) are defined as unintended complications occurring to patients due to medical care. AEs are especially prevalent in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and may lead to adverse patient outcomes. Although many studies have examined the impact of AEs on patient outcomes, few have investigated their associated costs. Therefore, logistic regression was performed to determine the association between AEs and in-hospital outcomes, including mortality. In addition, the study constructed a generalized linear model to assess the independent association between AEs and total hospital costs. Patients who experienced an AE had more extended total hospital and ICU lengths of stay, required more invasive ICU interventions, had more complex discharge plans and experienced higher in-hospital mortality rates than those who did not experience an AE.