Discrepancy between factors associated with long-term outcome in very old patients referred to the intensive care unit, and prevalence of treatment limitations

[...]factors associated with increased 12-month mortality (subsequent referral, metastatic cancer, heart failure, chronic renal failure on dialysis, immunosuppression, Modified Early Warning Score) were not associated with having treatment limitations.[...]we describe in a large cohort of very old patients, urgently referred to ICU, that treatment limitations were common.Importantly, there appeared to be a discrepancy between factors associated with longterm outcome and the presence or institution of treatment limitations in this cohort of patients, suggesting that the decisions to limit ICU treatment in our institution were only in part related to the prediction of long-term survival rate of the elderly patients.