Table 4.
Characteristics and outcomes of PMV patients eligible for four different models of weaning units
| Unit A (n = 101) |
Unit B (n = 113) |
Unit C (n = 110) |
Unit D (n = 117) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weaning unit description | No vasoactive treatment or RRT for 7 days | No vasoactive treatment or RRT for 2 days | No vasoactive treatment for 7 days |
No vasoactive treatment for 2 days |
| Age (mean (SD)) | 59 (15) | 58 (16) | 59 (16) | 58 (16) |
| Sex n (%) female | 45 (45) | 48 (43) | 48 (44) | 50 (43) |
| Surgical status n (%) | ||||
| Elective | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 2 (2) |
| Emergency | 11 (11) | 12 (11) | 13 (12) | 13 (11) |
| Non-surgical | 88 (87) | 99 (88) | 95 (86) | 102 (87) |
| APACHE II score (mean (SD))a | 20.7 (7.0) | 20.7 (7.0) | 21.0 (6.9) | 20.9 (7.0) |
| Tracheostomy on reaching eligibility for unit; n (%) | 94 (93) | 102 (90) | 102 (93) | 106 (91) |
| Length of ICU stay after reaching eligibility (days) | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 14.9 (13.4) | 14.9 (13.9) | 14.9 (13.5) | 15.3 (14.0) |
| Median (IQR) | 11 (6 to 22) | 11 (5 to 22) | 11 (5 to 22) | 11 (5 to 23) |
| Days ventilated after reaching eligibility | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 11.3 (11.8) | 11.6 (12.2) | 11.5 (11.9) | 12.0 (12.2) |
| Median (IQR) | 7 (3 to 17) | 7 (3 to 17) | 7 (3 to 17) | 8 (4 to 17) |
| Proportion of funded ICU bed-days used by population after reaching eligibility | 8.1% | 9.1% | 8.9% | 9.7% |
| Possible readmissions to ICU per year n (%)b | 15 (15) | 21 (19) | 17 (16) | 21 (18) |
| Mortality at ICU discharge n (%) | 14 (14) | 19 (17) | 19 (17) | 22 (19) |
| Mortality at final hospital discharge n (%)c | 29 (32) | 35 (34) | 34 (34) | 38 (36) |
a n for APACHE II score: n = 88, n = 97, n = 96, n = 101; b patients who would be transferred out of the weaning unit due to clinical instability, either requiring vasoactive therapy or RRT (units A and B) or vasoactive therapy alone (units C and D); c n for mortality at final hospital discharge: n = 91, n = 102, n = 99, n = 106 for units A to D, respectively.
APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; IQR, interquartile range; PMV, prolonged mechanical ventilation; RRT, renal replacement therapy; SD, standard deviation.