The magnitude of mortality and its predictors among adult patients admitted to the Intensive care unit in Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia

Despite mortality in intensive care units (ICU) being a global public health problem, it is higher in developing countries, including Ethiopia. However, insufficient evidence is established concerning mortality in the ICU and its predictors. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of ICU mortality and its predictors among patients at Tibebe Ghion specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from February 24th, 2019, to January 24th, 2021. Data were collected from medical records by using pretested structured data retrieval checklist. The collected data was entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using R version 4.0 software. Descriptive statistics computed. A simple logistic analysis was run (at 95% CI and p-value < 0.05) to identify the determinants for ICU mortality. A total of 568 study participants’ charts were reviewed. The median length of ICU stay was four days. Head trauma and shock were the leading causes of ICU admissions and mortality. The overall mortality rate of the ICU-admitted patients was 29.6% (95% CI: 26%, 33%). Admission in 2020 (AOR = 0.51; 95%CI: 0.31, 0.85), having altered mentation (AOR = 13.44; 95%CI: 5.77, 31.27), mechanical ventilation required at admission (AOR = 4.11; 95%CI: 2.63, 6.43), and stayed < 5 days in the ICU (AOR = 3.74; 95%CI: 2.31, 6.06) were significantly associated with ICU mortality. The magnitude of the ICU mortality rate was moderate. Years of admission, altered mentation, mechanical ventilation required at admission, and days of stay in the ICU were the predictors for ICU mortality. This finding underscores the importance of interventions to reduce ICU mortality.