Predicting survival in AIDS patients with respiratory failure. Application of the APACHE II scoring system

This article describes the APACHE II classification system as a measure of severity of illness applied to AIDS patients with respiratory insufficiency. Among 82 patients, observed mortality in patients with high APACHE II scores (greater than 30) and those with low scores (less than 18) was significantly higher than predicted. There was variable correlation between predicted and observed mortality in the other APACHE II score ranges. The usefulness of the APACHE II scoring system is reviewed as limited and inaccurate in predicting survival rates in AIDS patients with respiratory failure.