Association of pulmonary artery catheter use with in-hospital mortality

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Abstract
To determine the association of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) use with in-hospital mortality. Prospective, observational study. The medical intensive care units (MICU) of two teaching hospitals. The study included 751 adults who were admitted to the MICU, excluding those who stayed for p Mean patient age was 52.6 ± 17.1 yrs; 425 (57%) were male; 464 (62%) were African-American, 275 (37%) Caucasian, 6 (1%) Asian, and 6 (1%) Hispanic. PAC was used in 119/751 (16%). The median APACHE II and worst LODS scores were 19 and 4, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 159/751 (21%). The median APACHE II score for survivors was 17.5, compared with 28.0 for nonsurvivors (p p This study could not detect an association between PAC use and mortality. The APACHE II-predicted mortality rate and the development of multiple organ dysfunction were the main determinants of poor outcome in critically ill patients admitted to MICU.