Impact of patient admission source on respiratory intensive care unit outcomes

Abstract

Background

Research is limited in describing the association between admission source and mortality in critically ill patients. Therefore, this study investigated how intensive care units (ICUs) admission source (emergency department (ED) or ward) correlates with mortality rates.

Methods

This retrospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary pulmonology teaching hospital’s ICU from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. Patients were ICU patients admitted for acute respiratory failure. Demographic, comorbidities, diagnoses, APACHE II score, ICU admission (ED or ward), mechanical breathing support (invasive or noninvasive), length of stay, and mortality were recorded. Comparisons of ICU admission sources and mortality factors were established.

Results

A total of 2,173 ICU patients were studied; 1,011 (46%) were admitted from the ED and 1,162 (54%) from the ward. Their mean age was 70 years, and 66% of them were men. Pneumonia was the leading cause of ICU admission at 60% and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was the most common comorbidity at 54%. When both groups were evaluated in terms of respiratory support, non-invasive mechanical ventilation use was higher in patients admitted from the emergency room (ED: 50% vs. Ward: 35%), invasive mechanical ventilation was more frequently required in patients admitted from the ward compared to those admitted from the emergency department (ED: 17% vs. Ward: 25%). Length of ICU stay (2 vs. 3 days P < 0.001) and ICU mortality (odds ratio: 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.297–2.124, P < 0.001) were higher in patients admitted from the ward than in patients admitted from the emergency department. In addition, pneumonia patients and those with malignancies, interstitial lung disease, or noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) failure were associated with higher mortality.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that ward-to-ICU patients had higher mortality rates compared to ED-to-ICU patients. Triage protocols to better identify potentially critically ill patients in the ED may improve outcomes by avoiding delays in care and better assignment of admission location.