Role of active deresuscitation after resuscitation

Critical illness refers to a range of disease states with actual or incipient failure of one or more organ systems. While these states may be encountered in a range of settings and due to a wide range of causes, for example infection, trauma, and following major surgery, the most frequently used unifying definition is the requirement for treatment in a critical care (intensive care or high dependency) setting.<br><br>Over 750,000 patients are admitted to critical care units each year in England alone.

At a cost of £1 billion per annum, this represents a substantial proportion of total healthcare spending, and continues to increase each year.