Clinical profile and outcomes of young adults (18- 40 years) admitted to the ICU: A Prospective Cohort study

Young adults, typically aged 18 to 40 years, are generally considered to be in good health. However, this age group is increasingly encountering severe illnesses and injuries that require admission to intensive care units (ICUs). In India, trauma, severe infections (including sepsis), acute poisoning, and exacerbations of chronic diseases are among the leading causes of ICU admission in this population. Although younger patients often have fewer comorbidities and better physiological reserves compared to older patients, they are not

immune to poor outcomes, including death and long-term disability.Despite the growing need to understand critical illness in young adults, most studies in the critical care literature focus predominantly on the elderly. Many ICU outcome studies aggregate adult data without stratifying by age, potentially obscuring age-specific trends and risk factors. Furthermore, data from high-income countries may not be directly applicable to the Indian context, where the disease burden, healthcare-seeking behaviour, and resource availability differ significantly. Given these gaps, there is a need for well-designed, prospective studies that focus specifically on young adults in the ICU. This study aims to prospectively evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment interventions, and outcomes of patients aged 18–40 years admitted to the ICU over a one-year period. Findings from this study will provide valuable insights into risk stratification, treatment planning, and prognosis in this under-researched group.