Mini-Suffering State Examination Scale: Possible Key Criterion for 6-Month Survival and Mortality of Critically Ill Dementia Patients

Abstract

Six months of survival as a key criterion is extremely important for decision making in enrollment of critically ill patients to palliative settings. This was a prospective cohort study with 6 months of follow-up during a 24-month period performed in the Division of Geriatric Medicine in a tertiary general hospital. One-hundred three consecutively admitted, bedridden patients with end-stage dementia were evaluated. The Mini-Suffering State Examination scale was performed. Interrelations between the Mini-Suffering State Examination score at admission and 6-month survival and mortality were evaluated. A significant difference was proven among survival curves of subgroups of patients according to the mini scores (0-3, 4-6, 7-10). Survival was shorter and mortality higher in patients with a high Mini-Suffering State Examination score, as shown by the Kaplan-Meier method using the log rank (P = .001) and Breslow tests (P = .001). The Mini-Suffering State Examination scale is useful for predicting the last 6 months of survival and mortality of end-stage dementia patients.

Keywords

dementia end-of-life critical illness hospice suffering survival mortality

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