Medical patients suffer a high mortality after critical illness; however, the causes of mortality after intensive care management are unclear. This study's aims were to (a) explore what factors affect outcome after intensive care and (b) identify medical patients at particularly high risk of mortality. During one year, all patients admitted with a medical cause to the Critical Care Complex were enrolled. Diagnosis on admission was recorded, and whether the reason for admission was a new clinical problem or an exacerbation of existing chronic illness. All patients were followed for a minimum of one year. A total of 186 medical patients were included in the study. Fiftyβfour medical patients died on intensive care (28.4% mortality), a further 16 died on the general ward after intensive care unit discharge (hospital mortality 36.8%) and six following discharge home (1βyear's mortality 40.9%). Of the 16 patients who died on the general ward, 12 had been admitted to the intensive care unit with a new, previously unrecognised problem rather than exacerbation of a chronic preβexisting problem. However, on the general ward, βDo Not Resuscitateβ orders were placed on seven of these 12 patients. It would appear that some of the high post intensive care hospital mortality might be due to changes in resuscitation status in patients expected to survive following intensive care unit discharge.