Prediction model for appropriate routine ICU admission after pulmonary resection: multicentre study

One of the challenges of major surgery is to choose which patients should be admitted electively to the ICU. An ICU admission permits continuous haemodynamic/respiratory monitoring and early intervention or cardiopulmonary support if needed. ICU bed capacity is, however, limited and the costs are high1–3. Patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection are often admitted routinely to the ICU. However, many complications occur several days later and therefore it is unclear whether a postoperative routine ICU admission is usefull4,5. The aim of this study was to develop a prediction model for appropriate routine ICU admission after elective pulmonary resection. The electronic medical records of patients admitted to the ICU after elective pulmonary resection at three tertiary referral hospitals between January 2015 and December 2017 were reviewed. During this interval, all patients undergoing pulmonary resection were admitted routinely to the ICU. Details of anaesthestic and surgical management, criteria for appropriate routine ICU admission, statistical analysis, handling of missing data, and sample size calculation are available in Appendix S1.