Patterns of mortality in a surgical intensive care unit.

Mortalities in a surgical intensive care unit during a three year period were reviewed. The over-all mortality was 8.2 per cent. Sixty-four per cent of the deaths followed nontraumatic surgical illness and 36 per cent followed trauma. Eighty-one per cent of patients died as a direct result of traumatic injuries, while only 19 per cent died of sepsis or multiple organ failure. On the other hand, 62 per cent of the nontrauma related deaths were a consequence of sepsis or multiple organ failure. Further research into cellular support is needed to reverse the problem of sepsis related organ failure.