Table 3.
Patient clinical outcomes
| Variable | Intervention Patients (N = 14) | Control A: Palliative Care ICU Patients (N = 25) | Control B: Medical ICU Patients (N = 39) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital length of stay, total | |||
| Mean (SD) | 20.5 (9.1) | 22.3 (16.0) | 29.7 (16.1)* |
| Median (IQR) | 17.5 (14.8, 26.7) | 18 (8.3, 35.8) | 29 (17, 36)† |
| Hospital length of stay after palliative care consultation, d | |||
| Mean (SD) | 7.9 (6.2) | 9.7 (7.9) | — |
| Median (IQR) | 6 (3, 12.5) | 8 (2.5, 15.3) | — |
| Intensive care unit length of stay, total | |||
| Mean (SD) | 16.1 (8.1) | 11.5 (12.9) | 15.1 (13.1) |
| Median (IQR) | 15.5 (9.5, 25.3) | 7 (4.3, 13)† | |
| Intensive care unit length of stay before palliative care consultation, d | |||
| Mean (SD) | 3.6 (2.7) | 6.9 (7.1) | — |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (1, 5.3) | 4.5 (1, 7.8) | — |
| Intensive care unit length of stay after palliative care consultation, d | |||
| Mean (SD) | 4.4 (4.2) | 5.1 (7.1) | — |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (1,7) | 2 (1, 8) | — |
| Duration between eligibility and palliative care consultation, d | |||
| Mean (SD) | 1.5 (2.4) | — | — |
| Median (IQR) | 1 (0, 1) | — | — |
| Mechanical ventilation | |||
| n (%) | 9 (64) | 15 (60) | 27 (100%) |
| Duration, days, mean (SD) | 15.5 (6.6) | 12.2 (12.0) | 17.3 (12.0) |
| Duration, days, median (IQR) | 14.3 (11.6, 18.8) | 8 (4, 15)† | 15.9 (7.8, 20.4) |
| Mechanical ventilation duration after palliative care consult, d | |||
| Mean (SD) | 7.0 (6.2) | 9.0 (10.4) | — |
| Median (IQR) | 5.6 (3.0, 8) | 7 (1, 12.5) | — |
| Tracheotomy, n (%) | 4 (29) | 4 (16) | 3 (11) |
| CPR preference for full care | |||
| Preintervention, n (%) | 13 (93) | 25 (100) | — |
| Postintervention, n (%) | 4 (29) | 10 (40) | — |
| Hospital discharge disposition, n (%) | |||
| Home | 1 (7) | 2 (8) | 8 (21) |
| Inpatient rehabilitation facility | 0 | 0 | 4 () |
| Skilled nursing facility | 2 (14) | 1 (8) | 3 (11) |
| Long term acute care hospital | 2 (14) | 2 (16) | 4 () |
| Transfer to other acute care hospital | 0 | 1 (4) | 0 |
| Hospice | 5 (36) | 5 (20) | 2 (5) |
| Home hospice | 2 (40) | 0 | 0 |
| Inpatient hospice | 3 (60) | 5 (100) | 2 (100) |
| Died | 4 (29) | 14 (56) | 18 (46) |
| Withdrawal of treatment | 4 (100) | 12 (42) | 7 (39) |
Definition of abbreviations: CPR = cardiopulmonary resuscitation; ICU = intensive care unit; IQR = interquartile range.
*
P < 0.05 for t test with intervention group.
†
P < 0.05 for rank-sum test with intervention group.