Proportion Of Intensive Care Unit Admissions Research Articles

Efecto sobre el momento del ingreso en la unidad de cuidados intensivos de la puesta en marcha de un servicio extendido de medicina intensiva

IntroductionThe implementation of the Critical Care Outreach Teams can influence the time of admission of patients to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Material and methodsRetrospective, descriptive, quasi-experimental “before-after” cohort study. All patients admitted to the unit urgently from Monday to Friday for two periods (between February 1, 2022 and June 30 and between February 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023) are included. The patients were divided into regular shift admissions (08-15h) and on-call (15-08h). The secondary objective was to assess whether there were differences in mortality between the two periods. ResultsDuring the first period of the study, 239 patients were admitted. 29.29% entered the ordinary shift and 70.71% on duty shift. During the second period, 211 patients were included with 43.13% of admissions in the ordinary shift. The comparison between the two periods observed a significant increase in the percentage of admissions in the morning hours in the second period (P=.0031). Mortality in the first period was 13.80% and in the second period 9.95%. The comparison between the two periods did not reveal significant differences. ConclusionsThe start-up of the Critical Care Outreach Teams is associated with an increase in the proportion of ICU admissions in the morning period without any observed changes in mortality.

Association of Blood Alcohol and Alcohol Use Disorders with Emergency Department Disposition of Trauma Patients

IntroductionTrauma patients who present to the emergency department (ED) intoxicated or with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) undergo more procedures and have an increased risk of developing complications. However, how AUD and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) impact a trauma patient’s disposition from the ED remains inconclusive. In this study we aimed to identify the associations between positive BAC or an AUD with admission to the hospital, including the intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsThis was a retrospective study analyzing data from 2010–2018 at a university-based, Level I trauma ED. Included in the study were 4,699 adult trauma patients who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and had blood alcohol content test results.ResultsPositive BAC was associated with hospital admission and ICU admission after adjusting for injury severity score (ISS) (odds ratio 1.5 and 1.3, respectively). The AUDIT was only correlated with hospital and ICU admission in patients with ISS of 1 to 15. By increasing risk of AUD (low, moderate, high, and likely alcohol dependent) the proportion of ICU admissions rose from 29.3% to 37.3%, 40.0% and 42.0% (P <0.01). The results did not change significantly by adjustment for the age of patients.ConclusionBAC is associated with increasing ED disposition to the hospital or ICU. Furthermore, self-reported alcohol use was associated with an increased risk of hospital or ICU admission in patients with minor or moderate injuries. Further studies to determine viable options to decrease admission rates in these patients are warranted.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic course in the number and severity of hospitalizations for other natural causes in a large urban center in Brazil.

The COVID-19 pandemic may indirectly impact hospitalizations for other natural causes. Belo Horizonte is a city with 2.5 million inhabitants in Brazil, one of the most hardly-hit countries by the pandemic, where local authorities monitored hospitalizations daily to guide regulatory measures. In an ecological, time-series study, we investigated how the pandemic impacted the number and severity of public hospitalizations by other natural causes in the city, during 2020. We assessed the number and proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and in-hospital deaths for all-natural causes, COVID-19, non-COVID-19 natural causes, and four disease groups: infectious, respiratory, cardiovascular, and neoplasms. Observed data from epidemiological week (EW) 9 (first diagnosis of COVID-19) to EW 48, 2020, was compared to the mean for the same EW of 2015-2019 and differences were tested by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The five-week moving averages of the studied variables in 2020 were compared to that of 2015-2019 to describe the influence of regulatory measures on the indicators. During the studied period, there was 54,722 hospitalizations by non-COVID-19 natural causes, representing a 28% decline compared to the previous five years (p<0.001). There was a concurrent significant increase in the proportion of ICU admissions and deaths. The greater reductions were simultaneous to the first social distancing decree or occurred in the peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations, suggesting different drivers. Hospitalizations by specific causes decreased significantly, with greater increase in ICU admissions and deaths for infectious, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases than for neoplasms. While the first reduction may have resulted from avoidance of contact with healthcare facilities, the second reduction may represent competing causes for hospital beds with COVID-19 after reopening of activities. Health policies must include protocols to address hospitalizations by other causes during this or future pandemics, and a plan to face the rebound effect for elective deferred procedures.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Australia and New Zealand.

Rationale: The characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission are poorly understood and there are sparse epidemiological data.Objectives: The objectives were to describe epidemiology and outcomes of patients admitted to an ICU with COPD and to evaluate whether outcomes varied over time.Methods: We studied adult ICU admissions across Australia and New Zealand between 2005 and 2017 with a diagnosis of AECOPD and used an admission diagnosis of asthma as comparator for trends over time. We measured changes in characteristics and outcomes over time using logistic regression, adjusting for illness severity using the Australian New Zealand Risk of Death model.Results: We studied 31,991 admissions with AECOPD and 11,096 with asthma. Mean (standard deviation) age for AECOPD patients was 68.3 (11.2) years, with 35.4% mechanically ventilated. For patients with AECOPD, the percentage of deaths in an ICU was 8.7% and in a hospital was 15.4% of admissions, with the proportion of 69.2% discharged home and 5.6% discharged to a high-level care facility. During the study period, the proportion of ICU admissions with AECOPD per 10,000 admissions decreased at an annual rate of 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8-3.2; P = 0.009) but their admission rate per million population increased annually by 4.5 (95% CI, 3.7-5.3; P < 0.0001). There was a linear reduction in mortality for AECOPD but not for asthma admissions (odds ratio annual decline: AECOPD, 0.94 [0.93-0.95] and asthma, 1.01 [0.97-1.05]; P = 0.001) and an increase in AECOPD admissions discharged to home (odds ratio annual increase, AECOPD, 1.04 [1.03-1.05] and asthma, 1.01 [0.99-1.03]; P = 0.01). The reduction in mortality was sustained after adjusting for illness severity.Conclusions: Across Australia and New Zealand, the rate of ICU admissions due to AECOPD is increasing but mortality rates are decreasing, with a corresponding increase in the home discharge rates.

Length of hospitalization and mortality for bleeding during treatment with warfarin, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban.

BackgroundDifferent outcomes among patients hospitalized for bleeding after starting anticoagulation could influence choice of anticoagulant. We compared length of hospitalization, proportion of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions, ICU length of stay, and 30- and 90-day mortality for adults with atrial fibrillation hospitalized for bleeding after starting warfarin, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban.MethodsAn US commercial database of 38 million members from 1 November 2010 to 31 March 2014 was used to examine adults with atrial fibrillation hospitalized for bleeding after starting warfarin (2,446), dabigatran (442), or rivaroxaban (256). Outcomes included difference in mean total length of hospitalization, proportion of ICU admissions, mean length of ICU stay, and all-cause 30- and 90-day mortality.ResultsWarfarin users were older and had more comorbidities. Multivariable regression modeling with propensity score weighting showed warfarin users were hospitalized 2.0 days longer (95% CI 1.8–2.3; p < 0.001) than dabigatran users and 2.6 days longer (95% CI 2.4–2.9; p < 0.001) than rivaroxaban users. Dabigatran users were hospitalized 0.6 days longer (95% CI 0.2–1.0; p = 0.001) than rivaroxaban users. There were no differences in the proportion of ICU admissions. Among ICU admissions, warfarin users stayed 3.0 days (95% CI 1.9–3.9; p < 0.001) longer than dabigatran users and 2.4 days longer (95% CI 0.9–3.7; p = 0.003) than rivaroxaban users. There was no difference in ICU stay between dabigatran and rivaroxaban users. There were no differences in 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality.ConclusionsRivaroxaban and dabigatran were associated with shorter hospitalizations; however, there were no differences in 30- and 90-day mortality. These findings suggest bleeding associated with the newer agents is not more dangerous than bleeding associated with warfarin.

Feto-maternal outcomes in obstetric patients with near miss morbidity: an audit of obstetric high dependency unit

Aim: To evaluate and compare the feto-maternal outcomes of pregnant women with potentially life-threatening complications (PLTC) and near miss events admitted to the obstetric high dependency units (OHDU).Methods: Pregnant women with PLTC admitted to the OHDU were enrolled. Feto-maternal outcomes, need for NICU admission and neonatal mortality, were compared between women without near miss events (controls) and those with near miss events.Results: Of the 1505 admissions to the obstetric department during the study period, 1127 delivered at our hospital. Among the deliveries 125 (11%) women were admitted to the OHDU and 19 (15%) of them were referred to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. The incidence of near miss morbidity (n = 46) was 37% among the mothers admitted to OHDU and 4.1% among the deliveries. The outcomes were similar in both groups for mean birth weight (among live births), neonatal death and still birth or intra-uterine deaths. The mean duration of ICU stay, proportion of ICU admission, and the mean duration of hospital stay were significantly higher for women with near miss events.Conclusion: In the presence of standardized OHDU and an ICU, the feto-maternal outcomes of women with PLTC and near miss event are similar to those without near miss events.

The Ability of ICU Admission to Detect Maternal Near Misses as Defined By The Who Near-Miss Criteria

Objective: to assess the ability of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in pregnancy, or the postpartum period, to detect cases of obstetric near-miss. Methods: All obstetric admissions to the ICU were included retrospectively and data collected as specified by 2011 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on evaluating obstetrics near-misses between 2010 and 2013 in a Sri Lankan Hospital. Proportion of ICU admissions which fulfilled the WHO criteria for Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity (SAMM), maternal mortality ratio (MMR), maternal near-miss mortality ratio (MNM: MM)), and maternal near-miss ratio (MNMR) were analysed. Results: A total of 9,608 live births were reported. 118 ICU admissions and four maternal deaths were analysed. MMR was 42 per 100,000. MNMR was 9.7 per 1000, and MNM: MM was 23:1. From all ICU admissions 99 cases (79.8%) met additional WHO near-miss criteria and were classified as true SAMM. Pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders accounted for majority of ICU admissions (37.7%). Out of eight published studies from our region none of them had a MNM: MM higher than ours. Conclusions: Obstetric near-misses may be over-diagnosed if ICU admission is considered an independent inclusion criterion for SAMM. Reporting the proportion of patients admitted to ICU which are true near-miss may illustrate differing admission thresholds for a given institution. Sri Lanka Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vol.37(3) 2015: 31-37

All-cause hospitalizations in systemic lupus erythematosus from a large Canadian referral centre

To determine factors affecting morbidity and mortality in a contemporary cohort of hospitalized SLE patients and estimate the rate of SLE hospitalization. A retrospective chart review was done on all patients admitted to London Health Sciences Centre and St Joseph's Health Centre in London, Ontario, Canada, between January 2006 and June 2009. There were a total of 96 SLE patients meeting inclusion criteria hospitalized during this period resulting in 154 hospitalizations. Average age at diagnosis was 33.3 years (s.d. 13.7) and 46.5 years (s.d. 14.1) at hospitalization; 91.7% of hospitalized patients were female. The most common reasons for hospitalization included disease flare (17.5%), infection (mostly bacterial) (16.2%) and adverse drug reaction (8.1%). Acute coronary syndrome (2.6%) and venous thromboembolic events (1.9%) were less common causes of hospitalization. Mean hospitalization length was 8.5 (s.d. 11.2) days. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission occurred in 22 cases (13.8%) and mortality was significantly higher (27.3% of ICU patients died; P < 0.001). ICU admissions were associated with longer hospitalization [18.6 (s.d. 17.8) days; P = 0.006]. The annual rate of hospitalizations for SLE was estimated as between 8.6% and 18.9% per year depending on the estimated size of the referral area and study year. In this contemporary cohort, SLE flare and infection remain the top reasons for hospitalization. Causes of admission and length of stay are consistent with previous studies conducted in North America. The proportion of ICU admissions was substantially higher in this population and was associated with increased mortality and length of hospitalization.