The decision to admit these patients to ICU was
left at the discretion of emergency department physician or internist
referral to the ICU as well as to the intensivist in charge of the ICU.
Cases were defined as adult critically ill patients with a confirmed
diagnosis of DKA. Patients with nonketotic hyperosmolar hyperglycemic
state and ICU readmission within the index hospitalization
were excluded. Controls were randomly selected age-, sex-, and Acute
Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score-matched
patients admitted to the same ICU during the same interval