Table 4.
Procedures and Therapies Performed upon or during ICU Admission
| Living will n = 176 | Health care proxy n = 534 | No living will or health care Proxy n = 411 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical ventilation | |||
| MV in ICU | 109 (61.9%) | 313 (58.6%) | 231 (56.2%) |
| MV on ICU discharge | 16 (11.4%) (n = 140) | 53 (12.5%) (n = 425) | 40 (12.4%) (n = 323) |
| Vasopressors | |||
| Vasopressors in ICU | 75 (42.6%) | 249 (46.6%) | 180 (43.8%) |
| Airways | |||
| Intubation (pre- or post-ICU admission) | 60 (34.1%) | 188 (35.2%) | 123 (30.0%) |
| Intubation in ICU (post-ICU admission) | 55 (31.3%) | 177 (33.2%) | 116 (28.2%) |
| Tracheostomy (includes pre- and post-ICU admission)a | 24 (13.6%) | 81 (15.2%) | 47 (11.4%) |
| Days in ICU to tracheostomy (mean ± SD) | 11.4 ± 6.3 | 10 ± 6.2 | 10 ± 6.3 |
| Renal support | |||
| Hemodialysis/CRRT | 19 (10.8%) | 49 (9.2%) | 41 (10%) |
| Others | |||
| Endoscopy | 8 (4.5%) | 28 (5.2%) | 19 (4.6%) |
| PEG/PEJ | 3 (2.0%) | 20 (3.8%) | 11 (2.7%) |
| Chemotherapy | 7 (4.0%) | 24 (4.5%) | 22 (5.3%) |
| Intrahospital transports/patient (mean ± SD) | 2.1 ± 1.5 (n = 84) | 2.2 ± 2.3 (n = 259) | 1.9 ± 1.4 (n = 193) |
a
The HCP group had 5 tracheostomies pre-ICU; there were no differences in percentages of tracheostomies done after ICU admission in all three groups.
ICU, intensive care unit; MV, mechanical ventilation; VP, vasopressors; CRRT, continuous renal replacement therapy; REG, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy; PEJ, percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy.