Early mortality in critical illness – A descriptive analysis of patients who died within 24 hours of ICU admission

Highlights
•One third of ICU deaths occur within 24 hours of admission.
•Patients who die early are older, more likely frail and receive more advanced life support.
•Correlates of early death include age, acuity and Emergency Department admission.
•Future work should explore the role of clinician and family decision-making in this group.

Abstract
Purpose
To describe patients who die within 24 h of ICU admission in order to better optimize care delivery.