Ekeloef S, et al. - In this register-based cohort study, researchers characterized patients aged 18+ years who had non-cardiac surgery and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) within 30-days at four Capital Region hospitals in Denmark between January 2005 and December 2014. Factors that conferred risk for 30-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality after ICU admission, were also investigated. Overall, 3311 ICU patients identified via the Danish National Patient Register, were included, with 71.3% cases of gastrointestinal surgery, 18.4% of orthopaedic surgery, and 10.2% of urologic surgery. The observed 30-days mortality was 37.8%, 90-days and 1-year mortality were 44.5% and 51.2% respectively. Factors that increased 30-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality included higher age, comorbidity, delayed ICU admission, acute surgery, and gastrointestinal and orthopaedic surgery. Overall, a very high short- and long-term mortality were observed in non-cardiac surgical patients admitted to the ICU, this was seen particularly among the elderly comorbid patients undergoing acute surgery.