Report on the first yearʼs activities of a multidisciplinary respiratory intensive care unit

During the first twelve months of its existence, our RICU treated 140 patients in acute respiratory failure with a survival rate of 128/140 (91%). Fifty-four of these patients required mechanical ventilation for > 24 hr. The survival rate in the mechanically ventilated patients was 42/54 (78%). Eight of the 12 deaths were related to sepsis. The most frequent complications of respiratory failure were atelectasis and pneumonia. A unit excelling in respiratory care provides a sound foundation for multidisciplinary support of the critically ill.