Emergency Department Triage, Transfer Times, and Hospital Mortality of Patients Admitted to the ICU: A Retrospective Replication and Continuation Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to provide new insights into the impact of emergency department (ED) to ICU time on hospital mortality, stratifying patients by academic and nonacademic teaching (NACT) hospitals, and considering Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE)-IV probability and ED-triage scores. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2009-2020) using data from the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation registry. Patients directly admitted from the ED to the ICU were included from four academic and eight NACT hospitals. Odds ratios (ORs) for mortality associated with ED-to-ICU time were estimated using multivariable regression, both crude and after adjusting for and stratifying by APACHE-IV probability and ED-triage scores. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 28,455 patients were included. The median ED-to-ICU time was 1.9 hours (interquartile range, 1.2-3.1 hr). No overall association was observed between ED-to-ICU time and hospital mortality after adjusting for APACHE-IV probability (p = 0.36). For patients with an APACHE-IV probability greater than 55.4% (highest quintile) and an ED-to-ICU time greater than 3.4 hours the adjusted OR (ORsadjApache) was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.00-1.54; p < 0.05) as compared with the reference category (< 1.1 hr). In the academic hospitals, the ORsadjApache for ED-to-ICU times of 1.6-2.3, 2.3-3.4, and greater than 3.4 hours were 1.21 (1.01-1.46), 1.21 (1.00-1.46), and 1.34 (1.10-1.64), respectively. In NACT hospitals, no association was observed (p = 0.07). Subsequently, ORs were adjusted for ED-triage score (ORsadjED). In the academic hospitals the ORsadjED for ED-to-ICU times greater than 3.4 hours was 0.98 (0.81-1.19), no overall association was observed (p = 0.08). In NACT hospitals, all time-ascending quintiles had ORsadjED values of less than 1.0 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with the highest APACHE-IV probability at academic hospitals, a prolonged ED-to-ICU time was associated with increased hospital mortality. We found no significant or consistent unfavorable association in lower APACHE-IV probability groups and NACT hospitals. The association between longer ED-to-ICU time and higher mortality was not found after adjustment and stratification for ED-triage score.

Emergency Department to ICU Time Is Associated With Hospital Mortality: A Registry Analysis of 14,788 Patients From Six University Hospitals in The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVES: Prolonged emergency department to ICU waiting time may delay intensive care treatment, which could negatively affect patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether emergency department to ICU time is associated with hospital mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using data from the Dutch quality registry National Intensive Care Evaluation. Adult patients admitted to the ICU directly from the emergency department in six university hospitals, between 2009 and 2016, were included. Using a logistic regression model, we investigated the crude and adjusted (for disease severity; Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV probability) odds ratios of emergency department to ICU time on mortality. In addition, we assessed whether the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV probability modified the effect of emergency department to ICU time on mortality. Secondary outcomes were ICU, 30-day, and 90-day mortality. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 14,788 patients were included. The median emergency department to ICU time was 2.0 hours (interquartile range, 1.3-3.3 hr). Emergency department to ICU time was correlated to adjusted hospital mortality (p < 0.002), in particular in patients with the highest Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV probability and long emergency department to ICU time quintiles: odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02-1.64 (2.4-3.7 hr) and odds ratio, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.11-2.14 (> 3.7 hr), both compared with the reference category (< 1.2 hr). For 30-day and 90-day mortality, we found similar results. However, emergency department to ICU time was not correlated to adjusted ICU mortality (p = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged emergency department to ICU time (> 2.4 hr) is associated with increased hospital mortality after ICU admission, mainly driven by patients who had a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV probability. We hereby provide evidence that rapid admission of the most critically ill patients to the ICU might reduce hospital mortality.

The Value of Ischemic Cardiac Biomarkers to Predict Spontaneous Breathing Trial or Extubation Failure: A Systematic Review.

Background: It is unclear whether other cardiac biomarkers than NT-proBNP can be useful in the risk stratification of patients weaning from mechanical ventilation. The aim of this study is to summarize the role of ischemic cardiac biomarkers in predicting spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) or extubation failure. Methods: We systematically searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central for studies published before January 2024 that reported the association between ischemic cardiac biomarkers and SBT or extubation failure. Data were extracted using a standardized form and methodological assessment was performed using the QUIPS tool. Results: Seven observational studies investigating four ischemic cardiac biomarkers (Troponin-T, Troponin-I, CK-MB, Myoglobin) were included. One study reported a higher peak Troponin-I in patients with extubation failure compared to extubation success (50 ng/L [IQR, 20-215] versus 30 ng/L [IQR, 10-86], p = 0.01). A second study found that Troponin-I measured before the SBT was higher in patients with SBT failure in comparison to patients with SBT success (100 ± 80 ng/L versus 70 ± 130 ng/L, p = 0.03). A third study reported a higher CK-MB measured at the end of the SBT in patients with weaning failure (SBT or extubation failure) in comparison to weaning success (8.77 ± 20.5 ng/mL versus 1.52 ± 1.42 ng/mL, p = 0.047). Troponin-T and Myoglobin as well as Troponin-I and CK-MB measured at other time points were not found to be related to SBT or extubation failure. However, most studies were underpowered and with high risk of bias. Conclusions: The association with SBT or extubation failure is limited for Troponin-I and CK-MB and appears absent for Troponin-T and Myoglobin, but available studies are hampered by significant methodological drawbacks. To more definitively determine the role of ischemic cardiac biomarkers, future studies should prioritize larger sample sizes, including patients at risk of cardiac disease, using stringent SBTs and structured timing of laboratory measurements before and after SBT.