Resource Utilization and Outcome in Gravely Ill Intensive Care Unit Patients With Predicted In-hospital Mortality Rates of 95% or Higher by APACHE III Scores: The Relationship With Physician and Family Expectations

Despite better-than-predicted survival outcomes, patient functionality and 1-year survival were poor. Unrealistic family expectations were associated with increased resource utilization without significant survival benefit, whereas absence of physician documentation of likely impending death (which correlated with improved survival) may denote the prognostication skills of experienced clinicians.