Use of APACHE II Score for Predicting mortality in cancer Patients at the National Oncological Institute of Ecuador

Abstract

In general, patients with cancer have a dismal prognosis; therefore, they are not regularly admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (1,2). Criteria used to admit these patients are complex and often contradictory. Frequently, there is an unjustified interest to transfer these patients to the ICU, which is related to improper triage or unacceptable curative and palliative expectancies (3) and, thus, to higher morbidity and mortality rates (4). Therefore, treating patients with an advanced disease who do not respond to supportive care is a often questioned decision.