Unplanned Transfers From Intermediate Care Units to Intensive Care Units: A Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 397-400
Author(s):  
Joao Gabriel Rosa Ramos ◽  
Gabriel Machado Naus dos Santos ◽  
Marina Chetto Coutinho Bispo ◽  
Renata Cristina de Almeida Matos ◽  
Gil Mario Lopes Santos de Carvalho ◽  
...  

This study evaluated unplanned transfers from the intermediate care unit (IMCU) to the intensive care unit (ICU) among urgent admissions. This retrospective, observational study was conducted in 2 ICUs and 1 IMCU. Three patterns of urgent admission were assessed: admissions to the ICU only, admissions to the IMCU only, and admissions to the IMCU with subsequent transfer to the ICU. Of 5296 admissions analyzed, 1396 patients (26.4%) were initially admitted to the IMCU. Of these, 172 (12.3%) were transferred from the IMCU to the ICU. Mortality was higher in patients transferred from the IMCU to the ICU than in the 3900 ICU-only patients (odds ratio, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.52-6.80). Most transfers from the IMCU to the ICU (135; 78.5%) were due to deterioration of the condition for which the patient was admitted. Patient transfers from the IMCU to the ICU were common, were associated with increased hospital mortality, and were mostly due to deterioration in the condition that was the reason for admission.

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 1485-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry T. Stelfox ◽  
Jeanna Parsons Leigh ◽  
Peter M. Dodek ◽  
Alexis F. Turgeon ◽  
Alan J. Forster ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 799-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryu Komatsu ◽  
Huseyin Oguz Yilmaz ◽  
Jing You ◽  
C. Allen Bashour ◽  
Shobana Rajan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Statins may reduce the risk of pulmonary and neurologic complications after cardiac surgery. Methods The authors acquired data for adults who had coronary artery bypass graft, valve surgery, or combined procedures. The authors matched patients who took statins preoperatively to patients who did not. First, the authors assessed the association between preoperative statin use and the primary outcomes of prolonged ventilation (more than 24 h), pneumonia (positive cultures of sputum, transtracheal fluid, bronchial washings, and/or clinical findings consistent with the diagnosis of pneumonia), and in-hospital all-cause mortality, using logistic regressions. Second, the authors analyzed the collapsed composite of neurologic complications using logistic regression. Intensive care unit and hospital length of stay were evaluated with Cox proportional hazard models. Results Among 14,129 eligible patients, 6,642 patients were successfully matched. There was no significant association between preoperative statin use and prolonged ventilation (statin: 408/3,321 [12.3%] vs. nonstatin: 389/3,321 [11.7%]), pneumonia (44/3,321 [1.3%] vs. 54/3,321 [1.6%]), and in-hospital mortality (52/3,321 [1.6%] vs. 43/3,321 [1.3%]). The estimated odds ratio was 1.06 (98.3% CI, 0.88 to 1.27) for prolonged ventilation, 0.81 (0.50 to 1.32) for pneumonia, and 1.21 (0.74 to 1.99) for in-hospital mortality. Neurologic outcomes were not associated with preoperative statin use (53/3,321 [1.6%] vs. 56/3,321 [1.7%]), with an odds ratio of 0.95 (0.60 to 1.50). The length of intensive care unit and hospital stay was also not associated with preoperative statin use, with a hazard ratio of 1.04 (0.98 to 1.10) for length of hospital stay and 1.00 (0.94 to 1.06) for length of intensive care unit stay. Conclusions Preoperative statin use did not reduce pulmonary or neurologic complications after cardiac surgery.


Critical Care ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. R92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nara Costa ◽  
Ana Gut ◽  
José Alexandre Pimentel ◽  
Silvia Maria Cozzolino ◽  
Paula Azevedo ◽  
...  

Critical Care ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. R40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Peelen ◽  
Nicolette F de Keizer ◽  
Niels Peek ◽  
Gert Scheffer ◽  
Peter HJ van der Voort ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Charles Chin Han Lew ◽  
Gabriel Jun Yung Wong ◽  
Ka Po Cheung ◽  
Ai Ping Chua ◽  
Mary Foong Fong Chong ◽  
...  

There is limited evidence for the association between malnutrition and hospital mortality as well as Intensive Care Unit length-of-stay (ICU-LOS) in critically ill patients. We aimed to examine the aforementioned associations by conducting a prospective cohort study in an ICU of a Singapore tertiary hospital. Between August 2015 and October 2016, all adult patients with ≥24 h of ICU-LOS were included. The 7-point Subjective Global Assessment (7-point SGA) was used to determine patients’ nutritional status within 48 hours of ICU admission. Multivariate analyses were conducted in two ways: 1) presence versus absence of malnutrition, and 2) dose-dependent association for each 1-point decrease in the 7-point SGA. There were 439 patients of which 28.0% were malnourished, and 29.6% died before hospital discharge. Malnutrition was associated with an increased risk of hospital mortality [adjusted-RR 1.39 (95%CI: 1.10–1.76)], and this risk increased with a greater degree of malnutrition [adjusted-RR 1.09 (95%CI: 1.01–1.18) for each 1-point decrease in the 7-point SGA]. No significant association was found between malnutrition and ICU-LOS. Conclusion: There was a clear association between malnutrition and higher hospital mortality in critically ill patients. The association between malnutrition and ICU-LOS could not be replicated and hence requires further evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110549
Author(s):  
Jenny Yi Chen Hsieh ◽  
Juliana Yin Li Kan ◽  
Shaikh Abdul Matin Mattar ◽  
Yan Qin

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of sinus tachycardia in hospitalized patients with mild COVID-19 infection and to identify the clinical, radiological, and biological characteristics associated with sinus tachycardia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with mild COVID-19 infection and sinus tachycardia during hospitalization. Outcomes measured included incidences of venous thromboembolism, high-dependency/intensive care unit admission, laboratory parameters, and radiological findings. Results: A total of 236 COVID-19 positive patients admitted to Singapore General Hospital isolation general wards from 1 June 2020 to 30 June 2020 were included in this study. Ninety-seven (41.1%) patients had sinus tachycardia on or during their admission. All patients were monitored in general wards and discharged to community quarantine facilities. None required oxygen support or high-dependency/intensive care unit admission. Sinus tachycardia was associated with increased C-reactive protein level (odds ratio = 1.033, 95% confidence interval = 1.002–1.066), abnormal chest X-ray findings (odds ratio = 3.142, 95% confidence interval = 1.390–7.104), and longer hospitalization (odds ratio = 1.117, 95% confidence interval = 1.010–1.236). There was no significant statistical association between sinus tachycardia and incidences of venous thromboembolism. Conclusion: This study suggests that patients with mild COVID-19 infection and concurrent sinus tachycardia are more likely to have higher inflammatory marker levels, abnormal imaging, and prolonged hospitalization. However, no significant association between sinus tachycardia and thromboembolism is identified in mild COVID-19 infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Dziegielewski ◽  
Robert Talarico ◽  
Haris Imsirovic ◽  
Danial Qureshi ◽  
Yasmeen Choudhri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Healthcare expenditure within the intensive care unit (ICU) is costly. A cost reduction strategy may be to target patients accounting for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending, or high-cost users. This study aims to describe high-cost users in the ICU, including health outcomes and cost patterns. Methods We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of patients with ICU admissions in Ontario from 2011 to 2018. Patients with total healthcare costs in the year following ICU admission (including the admission itself) in the upper 10th percentile were defined as high-cost users. We compared characteristics and outcomes including length of stay, mortality, disposition, and costs between groups. Results Among 370,061 patients included, 37,006 were high-cost users. High-cost users were 64.2 years old, 58.3% male, and had more comorbidities (41.2% had ≥3) when likened to non-high cost users (66.1 years old, 57.2% male, 27.9% had ≥3 comorbidities). ICU length of stay was four times greater for high-cost users compared to non-high cost users (22.4 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] 22.0–22.7 days vs. 5.56 days, 95% CI 5.54–5.57 days). High-cost users had lower in-hospital mortality (10.0% vs.14.2%), but increased dispositioning outside of home (77.4% vs. 42.2%) compared to non-high-cost users. Total healthcare costs were five-fold higher for high-cost users ($238,231, 95% CI $237,020–$239,442) compared to non-high-cost users ($45,155, 95% CI $45,046–$45,264). High-cost users accounted for 37.0% of total healthcare costs. Conclusion High-cost users have increased length of stay, lower in-hospital mortality, and higher total healthcare costs when compared to non-high-cost users. Further studies into cost patterns and predictors of high-cost users are necessary to identify methods of decreasing healthcare expenditure.


Author(s):  
Guillaume Fond ◽  
Vanessa Pauly ◽  
Marc Leone ◽  
Pierre-Michel Llorca ◽  
Veronica Orleans ◽  
...  

Abstract Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) represent a vulnerable population who have been understudied in COVID-19 research. We aimed to establish whether health outcomes and care differed between patients with SCZ and patients without a diagnosis of severe mental illness. We conducted a population-based cohort study of all patients with identified COVID-19 and respiratory symptoms who were hospitalized in France between February and June 2020. Cases were patients who had a diagnosis of SCZ. Controls were patients who did not have a diagnosis of severe mental illness. The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. A total of 50 750 patients were included, of whom 823 were SCZ patients (1.6%). The SCZ patients had an increased in-hospital mortality (25.6% vs 21.7%; adjusted OR 1.30 [95% CI, 1.08–1.56], P = .0093) and a decreased ICU admission rate (23.7% vs 28.4%; adjusted OR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.62–0.91], P = .0062) compared with controls. Significant interactions between SCZ and age for mortality and ICU admission were observed (P = .0006 and P < .0001). SCZ patients between 65 and 80 years had a significantly higher risk of death than controls of the same age (+7.89%). SCZ patients younger than 55 years had more ICU admissions (+13.93%) and SCZ patients between 65 and 80 years and older than 80 years had less ICU admissions than controls of the same age (−15.44% and −5.93%, respectively). Our findings report the existence of disparities in health and health care between SCZ patients and patients without a diagnosis of severe mental illness. These disparities differed according to the age and clinical profile of SCZ patients, suggesting the importance of personalized COVID-19 clinical management and health care strategies before, during, and after hospitalization for reducing health disparities in this vulnerable population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 923-930
Author(s):  
Sarah Woolridge ◽  
Wendimagegn Alemayehu ◽  
Padma Kaul ◽  
Christopher B Fordyce ◽  
Patrick R Lawler ◽  
...  

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that coronary intensive care units are evolving into intensive care environments with an increasing burden of non-cardiovascular illness, but previous studies have been limited to older populations or single center experiences. Methods: Canadian national health-care data was used to identify all patients ≥18 years admitted to dedicated coronary intensive care units (2005–2015) and admissions were categorized as primary cardiac or non-cardiac. The outcomes of interest included longitudinal trends in admission diagnoses, critical care therapies, and all-cause in-hospital mortality. Results: Among the 373,992 patients admitted to a coronary intensive care unit, minimal changes in the proportion of patients admitted with a primary cardiac (88.2% to 86.9%; p<0.001) and non-cardiac diagnoses (11.8% to 13.1%; p<0.001) were observed. Among cardiac admissions, a temporal increase in the proportion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (19.4% to 24.1%, p<0.001), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (14.6% to 16.2%, p<0.001), heart failure (7.3% to 8.4%, p<0.001), shock (4.9% to 5.7%, p<0.001), and decline in unstable angina (4.9% to 4.0%, p<0.001) and stable coronary diseases (21.3% to 12.4%, p<0.001) was observed. The proportion of patients requiring critical care therapies (57.8% to 63.5%, p<0.001) including mechanical ventilation (9.6% to 13.1%, p<0.001) increased. In-hospital mortality rates for patients with primary cardiac (4.9% to 4.4%; adjusted odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.63–0.79) and non-cardiac (17.8% to 16.1%; adjusted odds ratio 0.84, 0.73–0.97) declined; results were consistent when stratified by academic vs community hospital, and by the presence of on-site percutaneous coronary intervention. Conclusion: In a national dataset we observed a changing case-mix among patients admitted to a coronary intensive care unit, though the proportion of patients with a primary cardiac diagnosis remained stable. There was an increase in clinical acuity highlighted by critical care therapies, but in-hospital mortality rates for both primary cardiac and non-cardiac conditions declined across all hospitals. Our findings confirm the changing coronary intensive care unit case-mix and have implications for future coronary intensive care unit training and staffing.


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