Objective: To estimate the effect of day of the week on the odds of being discharged alive from an intensive care unit (ICU).
Design: A longitudinal analysis of risk of discharge by day of the week.
Setting and patients: 4569 patients admitted to the ICU of St Thomas' Hospital, London, from 2002 to 2006.
Results: The odds of being discharged alive were lowest on the weekend and literally climbed during the week.
Conclusion: Our results show a frightening pattern of discharge from an ICU ward, most likely caused by a complex web of specialist availability and patient demand.