Sex differences in intensive care unit admissions in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

Introduction: Fewer women than men are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Objectives: To quantify the relative contribution of each major diagnostic category to the overall sex balance in ICU admissions in Australia and New Zealand, and to describe changes in the sex balance over time and with patient age. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of Australian and New Zealand ICU admissions recorded in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database between 2005 and 2018. Multivariate logistic regression for the likelihood of female admission considered key explanatory variables: diagnostic category, patient age, admission year, geographic reg..