Can we still refuse ICU admissionof patients with hematological malignancies?

Excerpt

For many years, it was assumed that patients with hematological malignancies developing acute severe complications had a very grim prognosis, particularly in the presence of prolonged neutropenia and when mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy was needed [1, 2]. Consequently, many intensivists were reluctant to admit these patients to the intensive care unit (ICU), and disagreements with hemato-oncologists were frequent. However, this scenario has fortunately been changing. Over recent years, the medical literature has seen numerous studies reporting improved survival rates for cancer patients, with either hematological malignancies or solid tumors, requiring intensive care [3‐8]. Advances in anticancer treatments and improvements in intensive care, coupled with the attempt at more judicious patient triage with earlier ICU admission, have been translated into this outcome improvement. …