scholarly journals Time spent in prior hospital stay and outcomes for ventilator patients in long-term acute care hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berna Demiralp ◽  
Lane Koenig ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Samuel Soltoff ◽  
John Votto
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Endotracheal Intubation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Mechanical Ventilator ◽  
Ventilated Patients ◽  
Ventilator Patients

Abstract Background Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) treat mechanical ventilator patients who are difficult to wean and expected to be on mechanical ventilator for a prolonged period. However, there are varying views on who should be transferred to LTACHs and when they should be transferred. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between length of stay in a short-term acute care hospital (STACH) after endotracheal intubation (time to LTACH) and weaning success and mortality for ventilated patients discharged to an LTACH. Methods Using 2014–2015 Medicare claims and assessment data, we identified patients who had an endotracheal intubation in STACH and transferred to an LTACH with prolonged mechanical ventilation (defined as 96 or more consecutive hours on a ventilator). We controlled for age, gender, STACH stay procedures and diagnoses, Elixhauser comorbid conditions, and LTACH quality characteristics. We used instrumental variable estimation to account for unobserved patient and provider characteristics. Results The study cohort included 13,622 LTACH cases with median time to LTACH of 18 days. The unadjusted ventilator weaning rate at LTACH was 51.7%, and unadjusted 90-day mortality rate was 43.7%. An additional day spent in STACH after intubation is associated with 11.6% reduction in the odds of weaning, representing a 2.5 percentage point reduction in weaning rate at 18 days post endotracheal intubation. We found no statistically significant relationship between time to LTACH and the odds of 90-day mortality. Conclusions Discharging ventilated patients earlier from STACH to LTACH is associated with higher weaning probability for LTACH patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation. Our findings suggest that delaying ventilated patients’ discharge to LTACH may negatively influence the patients’ chances of being weaned from the ventilator.

Chronic Comorbid Illnesses Predict the Clinical Course of 866 Patients Requiring Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in a Long-Term, Acute-Care Hospital

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 745-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dermot Frengley ◽  
Giorgio R. Sansone ◽  
Robert J. Kaner
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Group A ◽  
Chronically Critically Ill

Objective: To determine whether burdens of chronic comorbid illnesses can predict the clinical course of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV)patients in a long-term, acute-care hospital (LTACH). Methods: Retrospective study of 866 consecutive PMV patients whose burdens of chronic comorbid illnesses were quantified using the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS). Based on increasing CIRS scores, 6 groups were formed and compared: group A (≤25; n = 97), group B (26-28; n = 105), group C (29-31; n = 181), group D (32-34; n = 208), group E (35-37; n = 173), and group F (>37; n = 102). Results: As CIRS scores increased from group A to group F, rates of weaning success, home discharges, and LTACH survival declined progressively from 74% to 17%, 48% to 0%, and 79% to 21%, respectively (all P < .001). Negative correlations between the mean score of each CIRS group and correspondent outcomes also supported patients’ group allocation and an accurate prediction of their clinical course (all P < .01). Long-term survival progressively declined from a median survival time of 38.9 months in group A to 3.2 months in group F ( P < .001). Compared to group A, risk of death was 75% greater in group F ( P = .03). Noteworthy, PMV patients with CIRS score <25 showed greater ability to recover and a low likelihood of becoming chronically critically ill. Diagnostic accuracy of CIRS to predict likelihood of weaning success, home discharges, both LTACH and long-term survival was good (area under the curves ≥0.71; all P <.001). Conclusions: The burden of chronic comorbid illnesses was a strong prognostic indicator of the clinical course of PMV patients. Patients with lower CIRS values showed greater ability to recover and were less likely to become chronically critically ill. Thus, CIRS can be used to help guide clinicians caring for PMV patients in transfer decisions to and from postacute care setting.

Acute Emergence of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica Infection among Mechanically Ventilated Patients in a Long-Term Acute Care Facility

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingsley N. Weaver ◽  
Roderick C. Jones ◽  
Rosemary Albright ◽  
Yolanda Thomas ◽  
Carlos H. Zambrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Mechanically Ventilated ◽  
Mechanically Ventilated Patients ◽  
Elizabethkingia Meningoseptica ◽  
Ventilated Patients

Objective.To describe an outbreak of infection associated with an infrequently implicated pathogen, Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, in an increasingly prominent setting for health care of severely ill patients, the long-term acute care hospital.Design.Outbreak investigation.Setting.Long-term acute care hospital with 55 patients, most of whom were mechanically ventilated.Methods.We defined a case as E. meningoseptica isolated from any patient specimen source from December 2007 through April 2008, conducted an investigation of case patients, obtained environmental specimens, and performed microbiologic testing.Results.Nineteen patients had E. meningoseptica infection, and 8 died. All case patients had been admitted with respiratory failure that required mechanical ventilation. Among the 8 individuals who died, the time from collection of the first specimen positive for E. meningoseptica to death ranged from 6 to 43 days (median, 16 days). Environmental sampling was performed on 106 surfaces; E. meningoseptica was isolated from only one swab. Three related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns were identified in patient isolates; the environmental isolate yielded a fourth, unrelated pattern.Conclusion.Long-term acute care hospitals with mechanically ventilated patients could serve as an important transmission setting for E. meningoseptica. This multidrug-resistant bacterium could pose additional risk when patients are transferred between long-term acute care hospitals and acute care hospitals.

scholarly journals Post-COVID recovery: characteristics of chronically critically ill patients admitted to a long-term acute care hospital

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Meg Stearn Hassenpflug ◽  
Dale Jun ◽  
David R. Nelson ◽  
Tamas Dolinay
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Invasive Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Infectious Complications ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Chronic Critical Illness

Background: Survivors of COVID-19 pneumonia often suffer from chronic critical illness (CCI) and require long-term hospitalization. Long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals are vital in the care of CCI patients, but their role for patients post COVID-19 infection is not known. Barlow Respiratory Hospital (BRH) is a 105-bed, LTAC hospital network serving ventilator-dependent and medically-complex patients transferred from the ICUs of hospitals in southern California. We report patient characteristics of our first series of COVID-19 survivors admitted to the post-acute venue of an LTAC hospital. Methods: Single-center observational descriptive report of patients recovering from acute infectious complications of COVID-19 pneumonia requiring long-term respiratory support. Results: From 28 April to 7 September 2020, 41 patients were admitted to BRH for continued recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia. Median age: 68 [44-94] years, 25/41 (61%) male, 33/41 (80.5%) with tracheostomy, 21/41 (51.2%) on invasive mechanical ventilation, 9/41 (22%) receiving hemodialysis. All mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis interventions were initiated at the transferring hospital. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report to characterize CCI and medically complex COVID-19 patients transferred to the post-acute venue of an LTAC hospital. Patients on average spent over six weeks in the transferring hospital mostly in the ICU, are largely elderly, carry the known risk factors for COVID-19 infection, and experienced respiratory failure necessitating prolonged mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy. Our findings suggest that these patients will continue to require considerable medical interventions and treatments, including weaning from mechanical ventilation, owing to the numerous sequelae of the infection and the burden of acute-on-chronic diseases. As ICU survival rates improve, this research further emphasizes the important role of the LTAC hospital in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Agitation During Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation at a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi O'Connor ◽  
Nada S. Al-Qadheeb ◽  
Alexander C. White ◽  
Vishal Thaker ◽  
John W. Devlin
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Care Hospital

scholarly journals Weaning from Mechanical Ventilator in a Long-term Acute Care Hospital: A Retrospective Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-66
Author(s):  
Salim Surani ◽  
Munish Sharma ◽  
Kevin Middagh ◽  
Hector Bernal ◽  
Joseph Varon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Ventilator Weaning ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Mechanical Ventilator ◽  
Respiratory Therapist

Background: Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation (PMV) is associated with a higher cost of care and increased morbidity and mortality. Patients requiring PMV are referred mostly to Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) facilities. Objective: To determine if protocol-driven weaning from mechanical ventilator by Respiratory Therapist (RT) would result in quicker weaning from mechanical ventilation, cost-effectiveness, and decreased mortality. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted that utilized protocol-driven ventilator weaning by respiratory therapist (RT) as a part of the Respiratory Disease Certification Program (RDCP). Results: 51 patients on mechanical ventilation before initiation of protocol-based ventilator weaning formed the control group. 111 patients on mechanical ventilation after implementation of the protocol formed the study group. Time to wean from the mechanical ventilation before the implementation of protocol-driven weaning by RT was 16.76 +/- 18.91 days, while that after the implementation of protocol was 7.67 +/- 6.58 days (p < 0.0001). Mortality proportion in patients after implementation of protocol-based ventilator weaning was 0.21 as compared to 0.37 in the control group (p=0.0153). The daily cost of patient care for the LTAC while on mechanical ventilation was $2200/day per patient while it was $ 1400/day per patient while not on mechanical ventilation leading to significant cost savings. Conclusion: Protocol-driven liberation from mechanical ventilation in LTAC by RT can significantly decrease the duration of a mechanical ventilator, leading to decreased mortality and cost savings.

scholarly journals Post-COVID recovery: characteristics of chronically critically ill patients admitted to a long-term acute care hospital

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Meg Stearn Hassenpflug ◽  
Dale Jun ◽  
David R. Nelson ◽  
Tamas Dolinay
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Invasive Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Infectious Complications ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Chronic Critical Illness

Background: Survivors of COVID-19 pneumonia often suffer from chronic critical illness (CCI) and require long-term hospitalization. Long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals are vital in the care of CCI patients, but their role for patients post COVID-19 infection is not known. Barlow Respiratory Hospital (BRH) is a 105-bed, LTAC hospital network serving ventilator-dependent and medically-complex patients transferred from the ICUs of hospitals in southern California. We report patient characteristics of our first series of COVID-19 survivors admitted to the post-acute venue of an LTAC hospital. Methods: Single-center observational descriptive report of patients recovering from acute infectious complications of COVID-19 pneumonia requiring long-term respiratory support. Results: From 28 April to 7 September 2020, 41 patients were admitted to BRH for continued recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia. The length of stay at the transferring hospital was twice that of non-COVID patients admitted during the same time period. Median age: 68 [44-94] years, 61% male, 80.5% with tracheostomy, 51.2% on invasive mechanical ventilation, 22% receiving hemodialysis. All mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis interventions were initiated at the transferring hospital. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report to characterize CCI and medically complex COVID-19 patients transferred to the post-acute venue of an LTAC hospital. Patients on average spent over six weeks in the transferring hospital mostly in the ICU, are largely elderly, carry the known risk factors for COVID-19 infection, and experienced respiratory failure necessitating prolonged mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy. Our findings suggest that these patients will continue to require considerable medical interventions and treatments, including weaning from mechanical ventilation, owing to the numerous sequelae of the infection and the burden of acute-on-chronic diseases. As ICU survival rates improve, this research further emphasizes the important role of the LTAC hospital in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document