Critically ill patients with cancer: A clinical perspective

Table 1 Reasons for intensive care unit admission in patients with cancer[15]

Cause	Comment
Postoperative care	Elective or emergency
Acute respiratory failure	(1) Infectious: Bacterial, viral, fungal; and (2) Noninfectious: Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary drug toxicity, transfusion-related acute lung injury
Cardiovascular disorders	Sepsis and septic shock, pulmonary embolism, drug-induced cardiomyopathy
Bleeding disorders	Tumor erosion, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia
Alteration of mental status	(1) Metabolic: Sepsis, drugs, multiorgan system failure, seizure, hyponatremia, hypoxia, hipercapnea; (2) Mass effect: Central nervous system bleeding, tumor effects; and (3) Others: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
Oncologic emergency	Tumor lysis syndrome, leukostasis, superior vena cava syndrome, cardiac tamponade, hipercalcemia
Acute decompensated chronic comorbidity	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiac disorders (e.g., cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease), chronic kidney disease, chronic hepatopathy
Others	Initiation of chemotherapy for surveillance