Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mortalities in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are high and widely variable. The unpredictability of death rates is attributable to age, sex, nature and severity of illness, comorbidity, well-timed medical attention, quality of the attending staffs, iatrogenic events, total management facilities, and overall grade of the ICU in general. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of seventy patients who died in the ICU of a Level III Combined Military Hospital within a period of 2 years were studied in retrospect to review the mortality pattern. RESULTS: Overall mortality rate was 3.58%, among which 81.43% were male and 18.57% were female. The mortality rate in geriatric patients was 12.26% and 2.84% in the age group of 12-60 years and 2.56% in below 12 years. The major causes of death were ischemic heart disease (20%), cerebrovascular disease (14.28%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (10%). Highest incidence of death occurred during 1-3 days of ICU stay (34.28%) and the lowest was at 4 days to 1 week (4.28%). CONCLUSION: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is remaining as the most important cause of mortality in our community although many countries have succeeded in reducing the IHD mortality by a combination of lifestyle modification and improving the health-care delivery systems.