Pattern of disease and determinants of mortality among ICU patients on mechanical ventilator in Sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis

BACKGROUND: The global mortality rate of patients with MV is very high, despite a significant variation worldwide. Previous studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa among ICU patients focused on the pattern of admission and the incidence of mortality. However, the body of evidence on the clinical outcomes among patients with MV is still uncertain. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the pattern of disease and determinants of mortality among patients receiving mechanical ventilation in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: Six hundred and thirty patients on mechanical ventilation were followed for 28 days, and multilevel analysis was used to account for the clustering effect of ICU care in the region. RESULTS: The incidence of 28-day mortality among patients with MV was 49% (95% CI: 36–58). The multilevel multivariate analysis revealed that being diabetic, having GSC < 8, and night time admission (AOR = 7.4; 95% CI: 2.96–18.38), (AOR = 5.9; (5% CI: 3.23, 10.69), and (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.24, 5.05) were predictors. CONCLUSION: The higher 28-day mortality among ICU patients on mechanical ventilation in our study might be attributed to factors such as delayed patient presentation, lack of resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, lack of trained staff, and financial constraints. Trial Registration. The protocol was registered retrospectively on (NCT05303831). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13054-023-04316-w.