Multiorgan failure in the critically ill

Abstract

I n these days of serious healthcare cost containment, there is considerable concern about the relationship between outcome and cost in critically ill patients with multiple organ failure. Even though a large number of these persons die and multiple organ failure is expensive to treat, an examination of the long-term outcomes and direct costs of treatment in specific groups of patients with multiple organ failure has demonstrated that this cost can be reasonable in terms of cost per life-year gained and even quality-adjusted life-years gained. Dr David J Bihari discussed these issues at the 26th Educational and Scientific Symposium of the Society of Critical Care Medicine [San Diego, US; February 1997].