Successfully weaning patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation requires the varied expertise of a dedicated multidisciplinary care team. Traditionally, this care was provided in acute care hospitals, increasingly these patients are transferred to specialized weaning centres. These may improve patient outcomes by concentrating weaning expertise in a low-acuity environment and implementing protocols for liberation from mechanical ventilation. However, these centres might also worsen patient outcomes because they typically offer less intense nurse and physician staffing compared with traditional intensive care units. Generally, the clinical evidence is mixed, with the best studies suggesting that weaning centres offer similar outcomes as acute care hospitals, but at lower costs. Health systems also might stand to gain from dedicated weaning centres, because they can release intensive care unit beds for more acutely-ill patients. Many gaps remain in our understanding of which patients should be transferred to dedicated weaning centres, the optimal timing of transfer, and the best approach to care for patients in this highly specialized setting.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PROLONGED MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN THE GERIATRIC POPULATION AND ITS EFFECT ON PATIENT OUTCOMES
