Initiative to Increase ICU Use among Older Adults Succeeds But Offers No Benefit

A trial in France conducted among more than 3,000 elderly patients set out to increase "systematic admission" to the intensive care unit (ICU) for critically ill older adult patients. The study found that ICU admission rates increased, but the initiative had no effect on mortality rates, patient function, or quality of life within a six-month time frame. Results are published in the October 17, 2017, issue ofJAMA. In the intervention group, emergency department physicians and ICU physicians automatically recommended an ICU admission, whereas in the control group, no specific recommendations were made.