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Table 4 Characteristics and outcomes of PMV patients eligible for four different models of weaning units

From: Prolonged mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients: epidemiology, outcomes and modelling the potential cost consequences of establishing a regional weaning unit

 

Unit A

(n= 101)

Unit B

(n= 113)

Unit C

(n= 110)

Unit D

(n= 117)

Weaning unit description

No vasoactive treatment or RRT for 7 days

No vasoactive treatment or RRT for 2 days

No vasoactive treatment

for 7 days

No vasoactive treatment

for 2 days

Age (mean (SD))

59 (15)

58 (16)

59 (16)

58 (16)

Sex n (%) female

45 (45)

48 (43)

48 (44)

50 (43)

Surgical status n (%)

    

   Elective

2 (2)

2 (2)

2 (2)

2 (2)

   Emergency

11 (11)

12 (11)

13 (12)

13 (11)

   Non-surgical

88 (87)

99 (88)

95 (86)

102 (87)

APACHE II score (mean (SD))a

20.7 (7.0)

20.7 (7.0)

21.0 (6.9)

20.9 (7.0)

Tracheostomy on reaching eligibility for unit; n (%)

94 (93)

102 (90)

102 (93)

106 (91)

Length of ICU stay after reaching eligibility (days)

    

   Mean (SD)

14.9 (13.4)

14.9 (13.9)

14.9 (13.5)

15.3 (14.0)

   Median (IQR)

11 (6 to 22)

11 (5 to 22)

11 (5 to 22)

11 (5 to 23)

Days ventilated after reaching eligibility

    

   Mean (SD)

11.3 (11.8)

11.6 (12.2)

11.5 (11.9)

12.0 (12.2)

   Median (IQR)

7 (3 to 17)

7 (3 to 17)

7 (3 to 17)

8 (4 to 17)

Proportion of funded ICU bed-days used by population after reaching eligibility

8.1%

9.1%

8.9%

9.7%

Possible readmissions to ICU per year n (%)b

15 (15)

21 (19)

17 (16)

21 (18)

Mortality at ICU discharge n (%)

14 (14)

19 (17)

19 (17)

22 (19)

Mortality at final hospital discharge n (%)c

29 (32)

35 (34)

34 (34)

38 (36)

  1. an for APACHE II score: n = 88, n = 97, n = 96, n = 101; bpatients who would be transferred out of the weaning unit due to clinical instability, either requiring vasoactive therapy or RRT (units A and B) or vasoactive therapy alone (units C and D); cn for mortality at final hospital discharge: n = 91, n = 102, n = 99, n = 106 for units A to D, respectively.
  2. APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; IQR, interquartile range; PMV, prolonged mechanical ventilation; RRT, renal replacement therapy; SD, standard deviation.