Characterization of the patient with a history of chronic alcoholism in the intensive care unit

Objective: Characterization of alcoholic patients with admitted at the Intensive Care Unit. Method: A descriptive and retrospective study. The final sample was 123 patients. The statistical methods for the study included absolute and relative frequency distributions, central tendency measures, Chi-square and Student´s t tests. Results: Average age was of 58, 5 ± 12,4 years old. The 40-59 (48, 8 %) prevailed as well as Males (92, 7 %). The proportion of male/female sex was of 12, 7:1, 0. More than half of the patients died (56, 1 %). The media age of this group was lightly high to that of the alive discharged patients (60,0 vs 56,6 years old). The clinic admittance cause was most frequent (67, 5 %). The mean of APACHE II value was 18, 1 and it was higher in the diseased than in the survivors (22, 0 vs 13, 1). Most patients ventilated (71, 5 %). The main stay was 6, 9 days, more extended in the dead (8, 1 vs 5, 4). The main causes of death were bacterial bronchopneumonia (28, 6 %). Conclusion: Patients with antecedent of alcoholism have high mortality.