TABLE 5.
Relationship of Patient Characteristics with Length of PICU Stay and End-of-Life Decision-Making
| Characteristic | Total N | % Length of stay 7 days or morea | % DNR order at time of death | % Life support withheld orwithdrawnb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 192 | 43% | 49% | 70% |
| Hospital | ||||
| A | 24 | 50% | 38% | 74% |
| B | 50 | 30% | 48% | 66% |
| C | 44 | 48% | 48% | 75% |
| D | 25 | 56% | 68% | 83% |
| E | 49 | 44% | 47% | 63% |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 105 | 42% | 51% | 70% |
| Female | 87 | 45% | 46% | 71% |
| Race | p=.05c | |||
| Caucasian | 93 | 49% | 55% | 79% |
| African-Amer. | 30 | 25% | 30% | 50% |
| Hispanic | 32 | 42% | 47% | 69% |
| Asian | 8 | 63% | 88% | 75% |
| Other | 11 | 45% | 45% | 64% |
| Not document. | 18 | 38% | 39% | 67% |
| Religious Affiliation | p=.02 | |||
| Protestant | 27 | 42% | 59% | 78% |
| Catholic | 44 | 49% | 52% | 75% |
| Christian | 29 | 46% | 34% | 59% |
| Jewish | 7 | 71% | 71% | 71% |
| Muslim | 4 | 33% | 0% | 50% |
| Other | 3 | 33% | 100% | 67% |
| no preference | 35 | 55% | 60% | 79% |
| not documented | 43 | 24% | 37% | 63% |
| Diagnosis | p<.001 | p=.003 | p=.02 | |
| Pre-existing | 121 | 53% | 58% | 76% |
| New | 71 | 26% | 35% | 60% |
| Tech. dependent | p=.03 | p=.007 | p=.008 | |
| No | 161 | 40% | 45% | 66% |
| Yes | 31 | 61% | 71% | 90% |
| Surgery 72 hrs. | ||||
| No | 161 | 44% | 52% | 72% |
| Yes | 30 | 37% | 37% | 61% |
a
Length of Stay could not be calculated for ten decedents.
b
For three decedents, the nature of death could not be fully characterized (thus n=189).
c
When there is a significant (p<=.05) relationship between a potential outcome (represented in the column) and a decedent characteristic (represented in the row), the p-value for the chisquare test of independence is provided at the top of the % yes cell where the column and row intersect.