The purpose of this study was to estimate the association between patient age and the rate of new limitations in the use of life support, independent of daily organ dysfunction status, following acute lung injury (ALI) onset.

490 consecutive patients without any limitations in life support with ALI were included in the study. Patients were recruited from 11 ICUs at three teaching hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Patients included in this analysis ranged in age from 18 to 96 years old, with a median age of 52.

Older critically ill patients are more likely to have new limitations in life support independent of their baseline status, ICU-related severity of illness, and daily organ dysfunction status.

Future studies are required to determine whether this association is a result of differences in patient preferences by age, or differences in the treatment options discussed with the families of older versus younger patients.

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