Mechanical ventilation weaning protocol improves medical adherence and results.

INTRODUCTION: Implementation of a weaning protocol is related to better patient prognosis. However, new approaches may take several years to become the standard of care in daily practice. We conducted a prospective cohort study to investigate the effectiveness of a multifaceted strategy to implement a protocol to wean patients from mechanical ventilation (MV) and to evaluate the weaning success rate as well as practitioner adherence to the protocol. METHODS: We investigated all consecutive MV-dependent subjects admitted to a medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) for >24h over 7years. The multifaceted strategy consisted of continuing education of attending physicians and ICU staff and regular feedback regarding patient outcomes. The study was conducted in three phases: protocol development, protocol and multifaceted strategy implementation, and protocol monitoring. Data regarding weaning outcomes and physician adherence to the weaning protocol were collected during all phases. RESULTS: We enrolled 2469 subjects over 7years, with 1,943 subjects (78.7%) experiencing weaning success. Physician adherence to the protocol increased during the years of protocol and multifaceted strategy implementation (from 38% to 86%, p<0.01) and decreased in the protocol monitoring phase (from 73.9% to 50.0%, p<0.01). However, during the study years, the weaning success of all subjects increased (from 73.1% to 85.4%, p<0.001). When the weaning protocol was evaluated step-by-step, we found high adherence for noninvasive ventilation use (95%) and weaning predictor measurement (91%) and lower adherence for control of fluid balance (57%) and daily interruption of sedation (24%). Weaning success was higher in patients who had undergone the weaning protocol compared to those who had undergone weaning based in clinical practice (85.6% vs. 67.7%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted strategy consisting of continuing education and regular feedback can increase physician adherence to a weaning protocol for mechanical ventilation.

A adequada comunicação entre os profissionais médicos reduz a mortalidade no centro de tratamento intensivo / Appropriate medical professionals communication reduces intensive care unit mortality

OBJETIVOS: A falha de comunicação entre os profissionais de saúde em centros de tratamento intensivo pode estar relacionada ao aumento de mortalidade dos pacientes criticamente doentes. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar se falhas de comunicação entre os médicos assistentes e os médicos rotineiros do centro de tratamento intensivo teriam impacto na morbidade e mortalidade dos pacientes críticos. MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte incluindo pacientes não consecutivos admitidos no centro de tratamento intensivo durante 18 meses. Os pacientes foram divididos em 3 grupos conforme o hábito de comunicação de seus médicos assistentes com os médicos rotineiros: CD - comunicação diária da conduta (>75 por cento dos dias); CE - comunicação eventual (25 a 75 por cento dos dias); RC - rara comunicação (<25 por cento dos dias). Foram coletados dados demográficos, escores de gravidade, motivo de internação no centro de tratamento intensivo, tempo de internação no centro de tratamento intensivo e intervenções realizadas nos pacientes. Foram analisadas as conseqüências da falha na comunicação entre os profissionais médicos (atraso na realização de procedimentos, na realização de exames diagnósticos, no início de antibioticoterapia, no desmame do suporte ventilatório e no uso de vasopressores) e inadequações de prescrição médica (ausência de cabeceira elevada, ausência de profilaxia medicamentosa para úlcera de estresse e para trombose venosa profunda) relacionando-as com o desfecho dos pacientes. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 792 pacientes no estudo, sendo agrupados da seguinte maneira: CD (n =529), CE (n =187) e RC (n =76). A mortalidade foi maior nos pacientes pertencentes ao grupo RC (26,3 por cento) comparada aos demais (CD =13,6 por cento e CE =17,1 por cento; p <0,05). A análise multivariada demonstrou que o atraso no início de antibióticos [RR 1,83 (IC95 por cento: 1,36 - 2,25)], o atraso no início do desmame ventilatório [RR 1,63 (IC95 por cento:...

OBJECTIVES: Communication issues between healthcare professionals in intensive care units may be related to critically ill patients’ increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate if communication issues involving assistant physicians and routine intensive care unit physicians would impact critically ill patients’ morbidity and mortality. METHODS: This was a cohort study that included non-consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit for 18 months. The patients were categorized in 3 groups according to their assistant doctors’ versus routine doctors communication uses: DC - daily communication during the stay (>75 percent of the days); EC - eventual communication (25 to 75 percent of the days); RC - rare communication (< 25 percent of the days). Demographic data, severity scores, reason for admission to the intensive care unit and interventions were recorded. The consequences of the medical professionals communication failures (delayed procedures, diagnostic tests, antibiotics, ventilatory weaning, vasopressors) and medical prescriptions inadequacies (no bed head elevation, no stress ulceration and deep venous thrombosis drug prophylaxis), and their relationship with the patients outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: 792 patients were included, and categorized as follows: DC (n=529); EC (n=187) and RC (n=76). The mortality was increased in the RC patients group (26.3 percent) versus the remainder groups (DC = 13.6 percent and EC = 17.1 percent; p<0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that delayed antibiotics [RR 1.83 (CI95 percent: 1.36 -2.25)], delayed ventilatory weaning [RR 1.63 (CI95 percent: 1.25-2.04)] and no deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis [RR 1.98 (CI95 percent: 1.43 - 3.12)] contributed independently for the increased mortality. CONCLUSION: The failure in the assistant and routine intensive care doctors communication may increase the patients’ mortality, particularly due to delayed antibiotics and ventilation weaning,...

Appropriate medical professionals communication reduces intensive care unit mortality. / A adequada comunicação entre os profissionais médicos reduz a mortalidade no centro de tratamento intensivo.

OBJECTIVES: Communication issues between healthcare professionals in intensive care units may be related to critically ill patients’ increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate if communication issues involving assistant physicians and routine intensive care unit physicians would impact critically ill patients’ morbidity and mortality. METHODS: This was a cohort study that included non-consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit for 18 months. The patients were categorized in 3 groups according to their assistant doctors’ versus routine doctors communication uses: DC - daily communication during the stay (>75% of the days); EC - eventual communication (25 to 75% of the days); RC - rare communication (< 25% of the days). Demographic data, severity scores, reason for admission to the intensive care unit and interventions were recorded. The consequences of the medical professionals communication failures (delayed procedures, diagnostic tests, antibiotics, ventilatory weaning, vasopressors) and medical prescriptions inadequacies (no bed head elevation, no stress ulceration and deep venous thrombosis drug prophylaxis), and their relationship with the patients outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: 792 patients were included, and categorized as follows: DC (n=529); EC (n=187) and RC (n=76). The mortality was increased in the RC patients group (26.3%) versus the remainder groups (DC = 13.6% and EC = 17.1%; p<0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that delayed antibiotics [RR 1.83 (CI95%: 1.36 -2.25)], delayed ventilatory weaning [RR 1.63 (CI95%: 1.25-2.04)] and no deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis [RR 1.98 (CI95%: 1.43 - 3.12)] contributed independently for the increased mortality. CONCLUSION: The failure in the assistant and routine intensive care doctors communication may increase the patients’ mortality, particularly due to delayed antibiotics and ventilation weaning, and lack of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis prescription.

Serial measurements of f/VT can predict extubation failure in patients with f/VT < or = 105?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate is serial measurements of respiratory rate (frequency to tidal volume, f/VT) may predict extubation failure (EF) from mechanical ventilation in patients following a successful spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) with first measurement of f/V(T) < or = 105. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Two medical-surgical intensive care units. PATIENTS: Seventy-three patients ventilated for more than 48 hours after successful SBT were extubated and followed up for postextubation respiratory distress during 48 hours. RESULTS: Extubation failure occurred in 16 (21.9%) of 73 patients. Factors such as age, sex, Apache II score, days on mechanical ventilation, respiratory failure cause, and hemodynamic or ventilatory parameters did not predict EF. Patients were evaluated during 120 minutes of SBT, and f/V(T) was measured at the 1st minute (f/V(T-1)), 30th minute (f/V(T-30)), and 120th minute (f/V(T-120)). The f/V(T-30) increased as compared with f/V(T-1) (79 +/- 24 vs 68 +/- 30, P = .01) but did not differ from f/V(T-120) (79 +/- 44 vs 81 +/- 42, P = .79). The f/V(T-1) was lower in successful extubation (ES) as compared with EF patients (62 +/- 29 vs 82 +/- 15, P = .01), and this difference was unchanged during the trial (f/V(T-30): ES [63 +/- 22] vs EF [85 +/- 24], P = .02; and f/V(T-120): ES [65 +/- 26] vs EF [88 +/- 20], P = .01)]. CONCLUSIONS: Serial f/V(T) measurements during 120 minutes of SBT were unable to detect EF in patients following a successful SBT with initial f/V(T) lower than 105.