Respiratory intermediate care units: a European survey

Abstract
It has been reported that ∼40% of the patients admitted to ICUs never received active intensive care, including mechanical ventilation 8–10. Only ∼40% of patients with ARF due to pulmonary disease needed to be invasively ventilated 11, 12. However, in some countries, such as the UK, with a severe ICU bed shortage, the vast majority of ICU admissions require mechanical ventilation.