Criteria for intensive care unit admission and the assessment of illness severity

Critical care expansion in the UK has increased in recent years, reflecting increased demand, yet bed occupancy remains high and there are significant difficulties in matching supply and demand. Expansion of ICU services outside the walls of critical care has involved the development of complex multidisciplinary outreach services who exist to support ward teams in caring for individuals who are critically unwell or have recently been stepped down from higher levels of care; there is increased evidence of their effectiveness in reducing mortality and preventing unexpected deterioration. Discharge of patients from critical care is also an area of controversy with conflicting evidence of increased mortality rates for those discharged prematurely or out-of-hours. Careful planning is involved with appropriate post-ICU care is critical to avoiding poor outcomes. ICU scoring systems allow comparison of outcomes between individual units and facilitate research but are unhelpful in predicting outcome for individual patients. Deciding which patients not to admit to ICU are frequently the most difficult decisions facing critical care staff. Many patients previously considered inappropriate for organ support may now be admitted pre-determined limits of treatment or to facilitate complex palliative care needs.     

Criteria for intensive care unit admission and severity of illness

This article explores the provision and organisation of critical care services in the UK and examines the issues surrounding admission to, discharge from and the withholding of critical care.     

One year''s experience with the APACHE II severity of disease classification system in a general intensive care unit

The APACHE II sickness score was applied prospectively for one year in a general intensive care unit in Saudi Arabia. Two hundred and ten patients were studied, 66 of whom died in hospital. The mean APACHE II score of survivors was 11 (SD 7.1) and of non-survivors, 25.3 (SD 8.8). The mean Risk of Death was 13.3% (SD 13.1) for the survivors and 47.2% (SD 25.8) for non-survivors. The differences in APACHE score and Risk of Death between survivors and non-survivors are highly significant (p less than 0.0005 for both). No patient survived who had a Risk of Death greater than 60% and none died with a Risk of Death less than 7%. The sensitivity of the APACHE II system in predictions of death can be improved if the scores on the day of admission and on the 3rd day are taken into account.     

Impact of a critical care outreach team on critical care readmissions and mortality

AIMS: The aim of a critical care outreach team is to facilitate discharges from critical care beds, educate ward staff in the management of deteriorating patients, facilitate transfer to critical care and reduce readmission rates to critical care. Although intuitively a good idea, there are few data to support outreach in terms of reducing the readmission rate to critical care and subsequent patient mortality. This retrospective observational study attempted to determine the change in the critical care readmission rate, an indicator of the quality of critical care, critical care mortality and in-hospital mortality following the introduction of a critical care outreach team in a major teaching hospital. METHODS: A retrospective review of 1380 discharges from critical care was undertaken and the readmissions identified (n = 176). Readmission rate, mortality and other demographic data were compared between the pre and post-outreach periods. RESULTS: Critical care mortality, in-hospital mortality and 30-day mortality were all reduced in the post-outreach period amongst readmissions to critical care. There was also a decease in the overall mortality of all patients admitted to critical care. There were no apparent causative factors for this reduction in mortality before and following outreach. CONCLUSIONS: There are many confounding factors in assessing the impact of outreach teams in hospitals. This study tentatively concludes that outreach teams may have a favourable impact on mortality rate amongst readmissions to critical care, but more data is needed from multicentre trials.     

The effect of lead time bias on severity of illness scoring, mortality prediction and standardised mortality ratio in intensive care--a pilot study

The effect of lead time bias on severity of illness scoring, mortality prediction and standardised mortality ratios was examined in a pilot study of 76 intensive care (ICU) patients using APACHE II, APACHE III and SAPS II scoring systems. The inclusion of data collected in the period prior to ICU admission increased severity of illness scores and estimated risk of hospital mortality significantly for all three scoring systems (p < 0.01) by up to 14 points and 42.7% (APACHE II), 50 points and 26.3% (APACHE III) and 23 points and 33.4% (SAPS II), respectively. Standardised mortality ratios fell from 0.99 to 0.79 (APACHE II), 0.96 to 0.84 (APACHE III) and 0.75 to 0.64 (SAPS II), but these changes failed to reach statistical significance. Lead time bias had most effect in medical patients and on emergency admissions, and least effect in patients admitted from the operating theatre. These trends suggest that mortality ratios may not necessarily reflect intensive care unit performance and indicate that a larger study of the effect of lead time bias, case mix, pre-ICU care or post-ICU management on standardised mortality ratios is indicated.     

Measuring quality and outcomes in intensive care

While quality measures are integral to the maintenance of a high standard of patient care, high-quality care remains a complicated concept to define in the context of acute care. In this article we explore how quality can be measured in the intensive care unit. Standard outcome metrics such as mortality are tangible comparators, but do not offer a comprehensive assessment of quality for the complex heterogeneity of the intensive care population. We explore the Donabedian model as a means to describe the importance of outcomes, processes, structure and environment to inform the measurement of quality. These concepts can be more abstract and difficult to measure but can provide significant insight into the culture of a unit and the resulting performance, and thus provide a more comprehensive measure of quality.     

Measuring quality and outcomes in intensive care

Whilst quality measures are integral to the maintenance of a high standard of patient care, high-quality care remains a complicated concept to define in the context of acute care. In this article we explore how quality can be measured in the intensive care unit. Standard outcome metrics such as mortality are tangible comparators, but do not offer a comprehensive assessment of quality for the complex heterogeneity of the Intensive care population. We explore the Donabedian model as a means to describe the importance of outcomes, processes, structure and environment to inform the measurement of quality. These concepts can be more abstract and difficult to measure but can provide significant insight into the culture of a unit and the resulting performance, and thus provide a more comprehensive measure of quality.     

Severity of illness scoring systems and performance appraisal

A large number of severity of illness scoring systems have been developed and they are widely used in intensive care practice. However, they are complex systems with their basis in mathematics. To use such systems effectively, it is important to appreciate what factors influence their performance so that they can be compared fairly and used most appropriately. The purpose of this review is to describe the methods commonly used to assess the various facets of performance in severity of illness scoring systems. The performance of the most frequently used scoring systems in adult intensive care practice are presented. The shortfalls, misuse and strengths of scoring systems are also discussed.     

Delayed admission to intensive care unit for critically surgical patients is associated with increased mortality

Background

Shortage of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) is an increasing common phenomenon worldwide. Consequently, many critically ill patients have to be cared for in other hospital areas without specialized staff, such as general wards, emergency department, post anesthesia care unit (PACU). However, boarding critically ill patients in general wards or emergency department has been associated with higher mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a delay in ICU admission, waiting in PACU and managed by anesthesiologists, affects their ICU outcomes for critically surgical patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of adult critically surgical patients admitted to our ICU between January 2010 and June 2012 were analyzed. ICU admission was classified as either immediate or delayed (waiting in PACU). A general estimation equation was used to examine the relationship of PACU waiting hours before ICU admission with ICU outcomes by adjusting for age, patient sex, comorbidities, surgical categories, end time of operation, operation hours, and clinical conditions.

Results

A total of 2,279 critically surgical patients were evaluated. Two thousand ninety-four (91.9%) patients were immediately admitted and 185 (8.1%) patients had delayed ICU admission. There was a significant increase in ICU mortality rates with a delay in ICU admission (P < .001). Prolonged waiting hours in PACU (≥6 hours) was associated with higher ICU mortality (adjusted odds ratio 5.32; 95% confidence interval 1.25 to 22.60, P = .024). However, longer PACU waiting times was not associated with mechanical ventilation days, ICU length of stay, and ICU cost.

Conclusion

Prolonged waiting hours in PACU because of ICU bed shortage was associated with higher ICU mortality for critically surgical patients.     

Evaluation of predicted and actual length of stay in 22 Scottish intensive care units using the APACHE III system. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation

The most recent edition of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation provides a prediction of intensive care unit length of stay in addition to the probability of hospital mortality. Intensive care length of stay is an important determinant of intensive care costs and may be an important indicator of quality of care. Data were collected from 22 Scottish intensive care units over a 2-year period to allow comparison of actual intensive care unit length of stay with that predicted by the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III system. Correlation between actual and predicted stay for individual patients was poor. However, performance of the model for patients, grouped either by predicted length of stay or by intensive care unit, indicated that the model stratified patient groups appropriately while demonstrating a consistent bias. Length of stay in Scottish intensive care units was found to be consistently lower than that predicted by a model which is based on intensive care practice in the USA. Variations in severity of illness in intensive care unit populations cannot readily explain differences in intensive care unit length of stay. The availability of a model capable of predicting length of intensive care stay, based on data reflecting practice in the UK, would compliment current methods of assessing effectiveness of intensive care.     

The impact of Acinetobacter baumannii in the intensive care unit

Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant problem in critically ill patients. It is widespread, can colonise patients quickly and causes virulent infections. However, its overall impact on morbidity and mortality in the critically ill remains unmeasured. This study was designed to investigate A. baumannii colonisation and infection rates in a critically ill population over an 18-month period. Twenty-seven patients from a population of 347 were identified as having A. baumannii. Sixteen were colonised, whereas 11 were infected. Eleven of the 27 patients with A. baumannii died (41%). Of these, eight were colonised and three were infected. In the same period, 320 patients did not have A. baumannii and their mortality rate was 20% (n = 64). The mortality rate of patients with A. baumannii was significantly higher than that of patients without infection.     

Clinical and biochemical predictors of intensive care unit admission among patients with diabetic ketoacidosis

BACKGROUND Diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA) contributes to 94% of diabetes-related hospital admissions, and its incidence is rising. Due to the complexity of its management and the need for rigorous monitoring, many DKA patients are managed in the intensive care unit(ICU). However, studies comparing DKA patients managed in ICU to non-ICU settings show an increase in healthcare costs without significantly affecting patient outcomes. It is, therefore, essential to identify suitable candidates for ICU ca...     

Diabetes patients and non-diabetic patients intensive care unit and hospital mortality risks associated with sepsis

AIM:To compare mortality risks associated with known diabetic patients to hyperglycemic non-diabetic patients.METHODS:PubMed data base was searched for patients with sepsis,bacteremia,mortality and diabetes.Articles that also identified new onset hyperglycemia (NOH) (fasting blood glucose125 mg/dL or random blood glucose199 mg/dL) were identified and reviewed.Nine studies were evaluated with regards to hyperglycemia and hospital mortality and five of the nine were summarized with regards to intensive care unit (ICU) mortality.RESULTS:Historically hyperglycemia has been believed to be equally harmful in known diabetic patients and non-diabetics patients admitted to the hospital.Unexpectedly,having a history of diabetes when admitted to the hospital was associated with a reduced risk of hospital mortality.Approximately 17% of patients admitted to hospital have NOH and 24% have diabetes mellitus.Hospital mortality was significantly increased in all nine studies of patients with NOH as compared to known diabetic patients (26.7%±3.4% vs 12.5% ±3.4%,P0.05;analysis of variance).Unadjusted ICU mortality was evaluated in five studies and was more than doubled for those patients with NOH as compared to known diabetic patients (25.3%±3.3% vs 12.8%±2.6%,P0.05) despite having similar blood glucose concentrations.Most importantly,having NOH was associated with an increased ICU and a 2.7-fold increase in hospital mortality when compared to hyperglycemic diabetic patients.The mortality benefit of being diabetic is unclear but may have to do with adaptation to hyperglycemia over time.Having a history of diabetes mellitus and prior episodes of hyperglycemia may provide time for the immune system to adapt to hyperglycemia and result in a reduced mortality risk.Understanding why diabetic patients have a lower than expected hospital mortality rate even with bacteremia or acute respiratory distress syndrome needs further study.CONCLUSION:Having hyperglycemia without a history of previous diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for ICU and hospital mortality.     

Techniques of tracheostomy for intensive care unit patients

The author and his colleagues believe that the surgical technique used constructing a tracheostomy can have a profound effect on the safety and care of patients in the intensive care unit particularly in the first few days after the operation. The Bj?rk procedure is commended to the surgeons.     

Trauma patients in the intensive care unit: short- and long-term survival and predictors of 30-day mortality

BACKGROUND: The aims of this cohort study were to assess the survival of trauma patients treated in a general intensive care unit (ICU) and to evaluate the simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II, maximum sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, injury severity score (ISS), age, sex and severe head injury as predictors of 30-day mortality. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-five adult patients admitted during 1998-2003 were evaluated retrospectively with update of survival data in January 2005. Kaplan-Meier statistics and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to study survival and to assess predictors of mortality, respectively. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality was 16.9%, ICU mortality 13.8% and hospital mortality 17.8%. Long-term survival (observation time, 1-7 years) was 77.8%. After 3.5 years, mortality was the same as for the background population. Severe head injury was the main cause of death and increased the risk of 30-day mortality 2.4-fold. In addition, SAPS II and an age above 50 years proved to be significant predictors of mortality in a multivariate analysis. Sex was not associated with mortality, and ISS and the maximum SOFA score were significant predictors in univariate analyses only. CONCLUSION: Reduced long-term survival was observed up to 3.5 years after acute injury. The 30-day mortality was strongly related to severe head injury, SAPS II and an age above 50 years. These variables may be useful as predictors of mortality, and may contribute to risk adjustment of this subset of trauma patients when treatment results from different centres are compared.     

Fluid balance of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients and intensive care unit admission

Fluid administration is essential in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Admission to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is required for 11–29% of pediatric HSCT recipients and is associated with high mortality. The objective of this study was to determine if a positive fluid balance acquired during the HSCT procedure is a risk factor for PICU admission. The medical records of 87 consecutive children who underwent a first HSCT were reviewed retrospectively for the following periods: from admission for HSCT to PICU admission for the first group (PICU group), and from admission for HSCT to hospital discharge for the second group (non-PICU group). Fluid balance was determined on the basis of weight gain (WG) and fluid overload (FO). PICU group consisted of 19 patients (21.8%). Among these, 13 (68.4%) developed ≥10% WG prior to PICU admission compared with 15 (22.1%) in the non-PICU group (p < 0.001). Thirteen patients (68.4%) developed ≥10% FO prior to PICU admission compared with 31 (45.6%) in the non-PICU group (p = 0.075). Following multivariate analysis, ≥10% WG (p = 0.018) and cardiac dysfunction on admission for HSCT (p = 0.036) remained independent risk factors for PICU admission. Smaller children (p = 0.033) and patients with a twofold increase in serum creatinine (p = 0.026) were at risk of developing ≥10% WG. This study shows that WG is a risk factor for PICU admission in pediatric HSCT recipients. Further research is needed to better understand the pathophysiology of WG in these patients and to determine the impact of WG prevention on PICU admission.     

Functional and cognitive rehabilitation interventions during intensive care admission: A protocol for a systematic integrative review

Background

Long-term cognitive impairment occurs in up to 60% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Early use of functional and cognitive rehabilitation interventions, while patients are still in ICU, may reduce cognitive decline. We aim to describe the functional and cognitive interventions used during the ICU stay, the healthcare professionals providing interventions, and the potential impact on functional and cognitive rehabilitation.

Method

In this integrative systematic review, we will include empirical qualitative, quantitative, mixed- and multiple-methods studies assessing the use of functional and cognitive rehabilitation provided in ICU. We will identify studies in relevant electronic databases from 2012 to 2022, which will be screened for eligibility by at least two reviewers. Literature reported as narrative reviews and editorials will be excluded. We will assess the impact of interventions evaluating a cognitive and functional function, quality of life, and all-cause mortality at 6–12 months after ICU discharge. The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias Tool will be used for assessing risk of bias in clinical trials. For observational studies, we will use the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Furthermore, we will use the critical appraisal skills programme for qualitative studies and the mixed methods appraisal tool for mixed methods studies. We will construct four matrices, including results describing which ICU patients and healthcare professionals were engaged in rehabilitation, which interventions were included in early rehabilitation in ICU, the potential impact on patient outcomes of rehabilitation interventions provided in ICU and a narrative synthesis of themes. A summary of the main results will be reported using modified GRADE methodology.

Impact

This integrative review will inform the feasibility randomised clinical trial testing the development of a complex intervention targeting functional and cognitive rehabilitation for patients in ICU.     

Ethics and law in the intensive care unit

Intensive Care Medicine epitomises the difficulties inherent in modern medicine. In this chapter we examine some key medicolegal and ethical areas that are evolving. The principles of autonomy and consent are well established, but developments in UK caselaw have shown that the courts may be moving away from their traditional deference of the medical profession. We examine some recent cases and discuss the impact that these cases may have on practice in Intensive Care.     

神经外科ICU过渡护理标准化流程的制定及实施

目的提高神经外科ICU患者转出效率及安全性。方法将神经外科ICU患者1 176例按时间段分为对照组580例、观察组596例;患者由神经外科ICU转出至普通病房过渡护理期间,对照组采用常规交接方式,观察组制订和实施标准化流程实施交接。结果观察组转运期间患者病情变化、物品遗漏发生率及交接时间显著少/短于对照组(均P0.01),患者/家属满意度显著高于对照组(P0.01)。结论制定并实施标准化流程,有利于提高神经外科ICU患者转出工作效率和保障患者安全。     

Readmission to the intensive care unit: An indicator that reflects the potential risks of morbidity and mortality of surgical patients in the intensive care unit

Purpose  To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of surgical patients who were readmitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods  The data were collected for all readmissions to the surgical ICUs in a tertiary hospital in the year 2003. Results  Of all the 945 ICU discharges, 110 patients (11.6%) were readmitted. They had a longer initial ICU stay (8.05 ± 7.17 vs 5.22 ± 4.95, P < 0.001) and were older and in a more severe condition than those not readmitted, but with a longer hospital stay and higher mortality rate (40% vs 3.6%, P < 0.001). A total of 26.4% of the readmission patients had an early readmission (<48 h), with a lower mortality rate than those with a late readmission (24.1% vs 45.7%, P = 0.049). A total of 46.4% of the patients were readmitted with the same diagnosis while the rest were readmitted with a new complication. Respiratory disease was the most common diagnosis for patients readmitted with a new complication (66.1%). The nonsurvivors had a significantly higher second Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score (22.1 ± 8.8 vs.14.6 ± 7.4, P < 0.001) and second Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) score (30.1 ± 8.7 vs 24.7 ± 7.6, P = 0.001) and a longer stay in the first ICU admission (10.4 ± 9 days vs 6.4 ± 5 days, P = 0.010). A multivariate analysis showed that the first ICU length of stay and the APACHE II score at the time of readmission were the two risk factors for mortality. Conclusion  The mortality of surgical patients with ICU readmission was high with respiratory complications being the most important issue.