Table 3.
Characteristics of patients mechanically ventilated for 2 or more days who met and did not meet communication criteria in 6 study units in 2 hospitals, 2009–2011.
| Variable | Awake and alert or responsive to verbal communication by clinicians at least one nursing shift | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 1440) | No (n = 1231) | p-value | |
| Age, median (IQR) (N = 1211a) | 62 (23) | 60 (23) | <0.001c |
| Female, n (%) (N = 1211a) | 686 (47.6%) | 525 (42.6%) | 0.027 |
| Race, n (%) (N = 1435b, 1076a) | <0.001 | ||
| White | 1291 (89.7%) | 922 (75.6%) | |
| Black | 132 (9.2%) | 135 (11.1%) | |
| Other | 12 (0.8%) | 19 (1.6%) | |
| Unknown/missing | 5 (0.3%) | 144 (11.8%) | |
| Top 8 principal diagnosis, n (%) (N = 1439b, 1208a) | |||
| Septicemia NOS | 121 (8.4%) | 76 (6.2%) | 0.028 |
| Intracerebral hemorrhage | 49 (3.4%) | 90 (7.3%) | <0.001 |
| Acute respiratory failure | 66 (4.6%) | 49 (4%) | 0.444 |
| Subarachnoid hemorrhage | 45 (3.1%) | 49 (4%) | 0.232 |
| Cerebrovascular accident | 29 (2%) | 46 (3.7%) | 0.007 |
| Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver | 17 (1.2%) | 34 (2.8%) | 0.003 |
| Pneumonia, organism NOS | 29 (2%) | 8 (0.6%) | 0.003 |
| Cirrhosis of liver NOS | 23 (1.6%) | 15 (1.2%) | 0.410 |
| Hospital type – unit type, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Tertiary referral – transplant | 240 (16.7%) | 272 (22.1%) | |
| Tertiary referral – neurotrauma | 240 (16.7%) | 171 (13.9%) | |
| Tertiary referral – Neurology | 240 (16.7%) | 355 (28.8%) | |
| Tertiary referral – trauma | 240 (16.7%) | 106 (8.6%) | |
| Community – cardiovascular | 240 (16.7%) | 110 (8.9%) | |
| Community – Mixed med-surg | 240 (16.7%) | 217 (17.6%) | |
| ICU length of stay in days, median (IQR) (N = 1222a) | 9 (11) | 5 (6) | <0.001c |
| Hospital length of stay in days, median (IQR) (N = 1211a) | 15 (14) | 9 (11) | <0.001c |
| Cost-adjusted charges in dollars, median (IQR) (N = 1069b, N = 847a) | 42,432 (42,141) | 28,779 (33,451) | <0.001c |
| Discharge disposition, n (%) (N = 1220a) | <0.001 | ||
| Dead | 234 (16.3%) | 370 (30.3%) | <0.001 |
| Home | 330 (22.9%) | 318 (26.1%) | 0.080 |
| Hospice | 34 (2.4%) | 42 (3.4%) | 0.104 |
| Skilled nursing facility | 334 (23.2%) | 209 (17.1%) | <0.001 |
| Long term acute care hospital | 205 (14.3%) | 41 (3.4%) | <0.001 |
| Rehabilitation | 271 (18.8%) | 205 (16.8) | 0.145 |
| Transfer to other facility | 30 (2.1%) | 35 (2.9%) | 0.204 |
ICU – intensive care unit; NOS – not otherwise specified.
p-values from Pearson Chi Square.
a
reflects the variations in the sample size that did not meet awake criteria due to missingness.
b
reflects the variations in the awake sample size due to missingness.
c
denotes p-values from Mann–Whitney U.