Table 1.
Patient and Family Characteristics.
| Case | Age | Sex | Medical History | Days on Ventilator | PPC Team Involvement | Non-PPC Staff Involvement | Time to Death Following Extubation | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 years | F | Severe anoxic brain injury secondary to attempted suicide by hanging | 2 days | Physician, nurse, MSW, CLS | RT, chaplain | 30 min | Portable vent; ambulance transport cost; physician on-call demands; CLS challenges; large and varied family/community “audience” |
| 2 | 18 months | M | Spinal muscular atrophy, Type I | 8 months | Physician, MSW, nurse, chaplain | Community hospice nurses (adult-focused), pediatric home care nurses, local chaplain | 7 days | Inexperienced local hospice; training needs; psychosocial support needs; collaboration with two remote agencies; unanticipated (longer) time to death |