Association of Acute Systemic Inflammation with Patient-Centric Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Elective Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) occur frequently after cardiac surgery. Absolute postoperative values of biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α]) and alveolar epithelial injury (soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products [sRAGE]) have been associated with hypoxia and prolonged ventilation. However, relationships between these biomarkers and PPCs, contextualized to preoperative inflammation and perioperative lung injury risk factors, are uncertain. We aimed to determine associations between perioperative increases in biomarkers of inflammation and alveolar epithelial injury with a patient-centric PPC definition in adult cardiac surgical patients, accounting for the influence of intraoperative risk factors for lung injury. METHODS: Adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery were eligible for this observational cohort study. Blood concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and sRAGE were collected after anesthesia induction (baseline) and on postoperative day 1 (POD 1). The primary outcome was the occurrence of moderate or severe PPCs, graded using a validated scale, in POD 0 to 7. We estimated the association between POD 1 IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and sRAGE concentrations and moderate/severe PPC presence using separate logistic regression models for each biomarker, adjusted for baseline biomarker values and risk factors for postoperative lung injury (age, baseline PaO2/FiO2, left ventricle ejection fraction [LVEF], procedural type, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, and transfusions). Covariables were chosen based on relevance to lung injury and unadjusted between-group differences among patients with versus without PPCs. The secondary outcome was postoperative ventilation duration, which was log-transformed and analyzed using linear regression, adjusted using the same variables as the primary outcome. RESULTS: We enrolled 204 patients from 2016 to 2018. Biomarkers were analyzed in 2023 among 175 patients with complete data. In adjusted analyses, POD 1 IL-8 and IL-6 were significantly associated with moderate/severe PPCs. The odds ratio (OR) for developing a PPC for every 50 pg/mL increase in POD 1 IL-8 was 7.19 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.13-28.53, P = .003) and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.13-1.93, P = .01) for every 50 pg/mL increase in POD 1 IL-6. In adjusted analyses, postoperative ventilation duration was significantly associated with POD 1 sRAGE; each 50 pg/mL increase in sRAGE was associated with a 25% (95% CI, 2%-52%, P = .03) multiplicative increase in hours of ventilation. TNF-α was not significantly associated with PPCs or ventilation duration. CONCLUSIONS: Acute systemic inflammation is significantly associated with PPCs after elective cardiac surgery in adults when taking into consideration preoperative inflammatory burden and perioperative factors that may influence postoperative lung injury.

Disparities in end-of-life care for minoritized racial and ethnic patients during terminal hospitalizations in New York State.

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic minorities often receive care at different hospitals than non-Hispanic white patients, but how hospital characteristics influence the occurrence of disparities at the end of life is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if disparities in end-of-life care were present among minoritized patients during terminal hospitalizations, and if these disparities varied with hospital characteristics. METHODS: We identified hospitalizations where a patient died in New York State, 2016-2018. Using multilevel logistic regression, we examined whether documented end-of-life care (do-not-resuscitate status (DNR), palliative care (PC) encounter) differed by race and ethnicity, and whether these disparities differed based on receiving care in hospitals with varying characteristics (Black or Hispanic-serving hospital; teaching status; bed size; and availability of specialty palliative care). RESULTS: We identified 143,713 terminal hospitalizations in 188 hospitals. Across all hospitals, only Black patients were less likely to have a PC encounter (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.83 [0.80-0.87]) or DNR status (aOR 0.91 [0.87-0.95]) when compared with non-Hispanic White patients, while Hispanic patients were more likely to have DNR status (aOR 1.07 [1.01-1.13]). In non-teaching hospitals, all minoritized groups had decreased odds of PC (aOR 0.80 [0.76-0.85] for Black, aOR 0.91 [0.85-0.98] for Hispanic, aOR 0.93 [0.88-0.98] for Others), while in teaching hospitals, only Black patients had a decreased likelihood of a PC encounter (aOR 0.88 [0.82-0.93]). Also, Black patients in a Black-serving hospitals were less likely to have DNR status (aOR 0.80 [0.73-0.87]). Disparities did not differ based on whether specialty PC was available (p = 0.27 for PC encounter, p = 0.59 for DNR status). CONCLUSION: During terminal hospitalizations, Black patients were less likely than non-Hispanic White patients to have documented end-of-life care. This disparity appears to be more pronounced in non-teaching hospitals than in teaching hospitals.

Palliative Care Clinicians' Views on Metrics for Successful Specialist Palliative Care Delivery in the ICU.

CONTEXT: A quarter of palliative care (PC) clinicians' consultations are now requested from the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite this high usage, a standardized set of quality metrics for PC delivery in the ICU does not exist. OBJECTIVES: To explore PC clinicians' views on how to best measure quality of care delivery in their role as a consultant in the ICU setting. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a parent dataset consisting of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews exploring ways to optimize PC clinicians' role in the ICU. Nineteen participants were recruited across five academic medical centers in the US. Participants included PC physicians (n = 14), nurse practitioners (n = 2), and social workers (n = 3). Thematic analysis with an inductive approach was used to generate themes. RESULTS: We identified two central themes: difficulties in measuring PC quality in the ICU (theme 1) and tension between the role of PC and metrics (theme 2). Theme 1 had two subthemes related to logistical challenges in measuring outcomes and PC clinicians' preference for metrics that incorporate subjective feedback from patients, family members, and the primary ICU team. Theme 2 described how PC clinicians often felt a disconnect between the goal of meeting a metric and their goals in delivering high-quality clinical care. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide insight into PC clinician perspectives on quality metrics and identify major barriers that need to be addressed to successfully implement quality measurement in the ICU setting.

Specialist Palliative Care Use and End-of-Life Care in Patients With Metastatic Cancer.

CONTEXT: For patients with advanced cancer, high intensity treatment at the end of life is measured as a reflection of the quality of care. Use of specialist palliative care has been promoted to improve care quality, but whether its use is associated with decreased treatment intensity on a population-level is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether receipt of specialist palliative care use is associated with differences in end-of-life quality metrics in patients with metastatic cancer. METHODS: Retrospective propensity-matched cohort of patients age ≥ 65 who died with metastatic cancer in U.S. hospitals with palliative care programs that participated in the National Palliative Care Registry in 2018-2019. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the impact of specialist palliative care on use of chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life, use of intensive care unit (ICU) in the last 30 days of life, use of hospice, and hospice enrollment ≥ three days. RESULTS: After 1:2 matching, our cohort consisted of 15,878 exposed and 31,756 unexposed patients. Receipt of specialist palliative care was associated with a decrease in use of chemotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.59 [0.50-0.70]) and ICU at the end of life (aHR 0.86 [0.80-0.92]), and an increase in hospice use (aHR 1.92 [1.85-1.99]) and hospice enrollment for ≥three days (aHR 2.00 [1.93-2.07]). CONCLUSION: On a population-level, use of specialist palliative care was associated with improved metrics for quality end-of-life care for patients dying with metastatic cancer, underscoring the importance of its integration into cancer care.

Place of Death From Cancer in US States With vs Without Palliative Care Laws.

Importance: In the US, improving end-of-life care has become increasingly urgent. Some states have enacted legislation intended to facilitate palliative care delivery for seriously ill patients, but it is unknown whether these laws have any measurable consequences for patient outcomes. Objective: To determine whether US state palliative care legislation is associated with place of death from cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study with a difference-in-differences analysis used information about state legislation combined with death certificate data for 50 US states (from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2017) for all decedents who had any type of cancer listed as the underlying cause of death. Data analysis for this study occurred between September 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022. Exposures: Presence of a nonprescriptive (relating to palliative and end-of-life care without prescribing particular clinician actions) or prescriptive (requiring clinicians to offer patients information about care options) palliative care law in the state-year where death occurred. Main Outcomes and Measures: Multilevel relative risk regression with state modeled as a random effect was used to estimate the likelihood of dying at home or hospice for decedents dying in state-years with a palliative care law compared with decedents dying in state-years without such laws. Results: This study included 7 547 907 individuals with cancer as the underlying cause of death. Their mean (SD) age was 71 (14) years, and 3 609 146 were women (47.8%). In terms of race and ethnicity, the majority of decedents were White (85.6%) and non-Hispanic (94.1%). During the study period, 553 state-years (85.1%) had no palliative care law, 60 state-years (9.2%) had a nonprescriptive palliative care law, and 37 state-years (5.7%) had a prescriptive palliative care law. A total of 3 780 918 individuals (50.1%) died at home or in hospice. Most decedents (70.8%) died in state-years without a palliative care law, while 15.7% died in state-years with a nonprescriptive law and 13.5% died in state-years with a prescriptive law. Compared with state-years without a palliative care law, the likelihood of dying at home or in hospice was 12% higher for decedents in state-years with a nonprescriptive palliative care law (relative risk, 1.12 [95% CI 1.08-1.16]) and 18% higher for decedents in state-years with a prescriptive palliative care law (relative risk, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.11-1.26]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of decedents from cancer, state palliative care laws were associated with an increased likelihood of dying at home or in hospice. Passage of state palliative care legislation may be an effective policy intervention to increase the number of seriously ill patients who experience their death in such locations.

Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit: Past, Present, and Future.

In this article, the authors review the origins of palliative care within the critical care context and describe the evolution of symptom management, shared decision-making, and comfort-focused care in the ICU from the 1970s to the early 2000s. The authors also review the growth of interventional studies in the past 20 years and indicate areas for future study and quality improvement for end-of-life care among the critically ill.

Combined heart and liver transplantation in a patient supported by left ventricular assist device (LVAD) with propionic acidemia.

Propionic acidemia (PA) is a rare inherited metabolic disease due to inborn errors of metabolism. PA results in the accumulation of abnormal organic acid metabolites in multiple systems, mainly the central nervous system and the heart. Cardiac complications include dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and carry a 40-50% increased mortality risk. Liver transplantation (LT) is required in PA patients when medical treatment fails and may prevent or slow down the cardiomyopathy progression. However, severe heart disease may be a serious contraindication to LT. We present a complicated case of a PA patient, supported with a Left Ventricular Assist Device, who underwent a heart and Liver transplant. PA patients are at increased risk for metabolic acidosis during surgery, with increased anion gap and hyperammonemia. A strict multi-disciplinary approach is needed to prevent and treat metabolic decompensation. The patient had a successful heart and liver transplant after a strict treatment protocol in the pre, intra, and post-operative periods. His case highlights the complexity of PA patients and the increased risk for metabolic decompensation during surgery and provides an insight into how to manage such complicated patients.

Clinicians' views on the use of triggers for specialist palliative care in the ICU: A qualitative secondary analysis.

PURPOSE: To understand clinicians' views regarding use of clinical criteria, or triggers, for specialist palliative care consultation in the ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Secondary analysis of a qualitative study that explored factors associated with adoption of specialist palliative care in the ICU. Semi-structured interviews with 36 ICU and palliative care clinicians included questions related to triggers for specialist palliative care. We performed a thematic analysis to identify participants' views on use of triggers, including appropriateness of cases for specialists and issues surrounding trigger implementation. RESULTS: We identified five major themes: 1) Appropriate triggers for specialist palliative care, 2) Issues leading to clinician ambivalence for triggers, 3) Prospective buy-in of stakeholders, 4) Workflow considerations in deploying a trigger system, and 5) Role of ICU clinicians in approving specialist palliative care consults. Appropriate triggers included end-of-life care, chronic critical illness, frequent ICU admissions, and patient/family support. Most clinicians had concerns about "trigger overload" and ICU clinicians wanted to be broadly involved in implementation efforts. CONCLUSIONS: ICU and palliative care clinicians identified important issues to consider when implementing triggers for specialist palliative care consultation. Future research is needed to longitudinally examine the most appropriate triggers and best practices for trigger implementation.

Interpersonal Conflict between Clinicians in the Delivery of Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Critically Ill Patients: A Secondary Qualitative Analysis.

Background: Conflict between clinicians is prevalent within intensive care units (ICUs) and may hinder optimal delivery of care. However, little is known about the sources of interpersonal conflict and how it manifests within the context of palliative and end-of-life care delivery in ICUs. Objective: To characterize interpersonal conflict in the delivery of palliative care within ICUs. Design: Secondary thematic analysis using a deductive-inductive approach. We analyzed existing qualitative data that conducted semistructured interviews to examine factors associated with variable adoption of specialty palliative care in ICUs. Settings/Subjects: In the parent study, 36 participants were recruited from two urban academic medical centers in the United States, including ICU attendings (n = 17), ICU nurses (n = 11), ICU social workers (n = 1), and palliative care providers (n = 7). Measurements: Coders applied an existing framework of interpersonal conflict to guide initial coding and analysis, combined with a flexible inductive approach allowing new codes to emerge. Results: We characterized three properties of interpersonal conflict: disagreement, interference, and negative emotion. In the context of delivering palliative and end-of-life care for critically ill patients, "disagreement" centered around whether patients were appropriate for palliative care, which care plans should be prioritized, and how care should be delivered. "Interference" involved preventing palliative care consultation or goals-of-care discussions and hindering patient care. "Negative emotion" included occurrences of silencing or scolding, rudeness, anger, regret, ethical conflict, and grief. Conclusions: Our findings provide an in-depth understanding of interpersonal conflict within palliative and end-of-life care for critically ill patients. Further study is needed to understand how to prevent and resolve such conflicts.

Similarities in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management across intensive care unit types in the United States: An analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in the United States occurs often in cardiothoracic ICUs (CTICU). It is unknown how it varies across ICU types. METHODS: We identified 10 893 ECMO runs from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Registry across 2018 and 2019. Primary outcome was ECMO case volume by ICU type (CTICU vs. non-CTICU). Adjusting for pre-ECMO characteristics and case mix, secondary outcomes were on-ECMO physiologic variables by ICU location stratified by support type. RESULTS: CTICU ECMO occurred in 65.1% and 55.1% (2018 and 2019) of total runs. A minority of total runs related to cardiac surgery procedures (CTICU: 21.7% [2018], 18% [2019]; non-CTICU: 11.2% [2018], 13% [2019]). After multivariate adjustment, non-CTICU ECMO for cardiac support associated with lower 4- and 24-h circuit flow (3.9 liters per minute [LPM] vs. 4.1 LPM, p < 0.0001; 4.1 LPM vs. 4.3 LPM, p < 0.0001); for respiratory support, lower on-ECMO mean fraction of inspired oxygen ([Fi O2 ], 67% vs. 69%, p = 0.02) and lower respiratory rate (14 vs. 15, p < 0.0001); and, for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), lower ECMO flow rates at 24 h (3.5 LPM vs. 3.7 LPM, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ECMO mostly remains in CTICUs though a minority is associated with cardiac surgery. Statistically significant but clinically minor differences in on-ECMO metrics were observed across ICU types.

Use of 90-day mortality does not change assessment of hospital quality after coronary artery bypass grafting in New York State.

OBJECTIVES: Publicly reported postoperative 30-day mortality rates are commonly used to compare hospital quality after coronary artery bypass grafting. We sought to determine whether 90-day mortality rates, which are not publicly reported but better capture postdischarge mortality, are a better determinant of hospital performance. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of 30- versus 90-day risk-standardized mortality rates at adult cardiac surgical centers in New York State from 2008 to 2014. Hospitals were classified as good or poor performing outliers at each time point based on the bounds of the 95% confidence interval around each hospital's predicted risk-standardized mortality rates determined via hierarchical models. The primary outcome was change in institutional performance via outlier classification from 30 to 90 days. RESULTS: During the study period, 72,398 adults underwent a coronary artery bypass grafting procedure at 1 of 42 institutions. The risk-standardized mortality rates increased from 30 to 90 days at all institutions, with a median 30-day risk-standardized mortality rate of 2.16% (interquartile range, 0.69%) and median 90-day risk-standardized mortality rate of 3.69% (interquartile range, 1.00%). In using a 90-day instead of a 30-day metric, 3 hospitals changed outlier status. One hospital improved to a good from as expected performer, and 2 worsened to as expected from good performers. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery from 2008 to 2014 in New York State, use of a 90-day mortality metric resulted in a change in hospital quality assessment for a minority of hospitals. The use of 90-day mortality may not provide additional value when evaluating institutional performance for this population.

What Affects Adoption of Specialty Palliative Care in Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Study.

CONTEXT: Although many patients with critical illness may benefit from involvement of palliative care specialists, adoption of these services in the intensive care unit (ICU) is variable. OBJECTIVE: To characterize reasons for variable buy-in for specialty palliative care in the ICU, and identify factors associated with routine involvement of specialists in appropriate cases. METHODS: Qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ICU attendings, nurses, and palliative care clinicians, purposively sampled from eight ICUs (medical, surgical, cardiothoracic, neurological) with variable use of palliative care services within two urban, academic medical centers. Interviews were transcribed and coded using an iterative and inductive approach with constant comparison. RESULTS: We identified three types of specialty palliative care adoption in ICUs, representing different phases of buy-in. The "nascent" phase was characterized by the need for education about palliative care services and clarification of which patients may be appropriate for involvement. During the key "transitional" phase, use of specialists depended on development of "comfort and trust", which centered on four aspects of the ICU-palliative care clinician relationship: 1) increasing familiarity between clinicians; 2) navigating shared responsibility with primary clinicians; 3) having a collaborative approach to care; and 4) having successful experiences. In the "mature" phase, ICU and palliative care clinicians worked to strengthen their existing collaboration, but further adoption was limited by the availability and resources of the palliative care team. CONCLUSION: This conceptual framework identifying distinct phases of adoption may assist institutions aiming to foster sustained adoption of specialty palliative care in an ICU setting.

Implementation of Specialist Palliative Care and Outcomes for Hospitalized Patients with Dementia.

BACKGROUND: In patients with serious illness, use of specialist palliative care may result in improved quality of life, patient and caregiver satisfaction and advance care planning, as well as lower health care utilization. However, evidence of efficacy is limited for patients with dementia, particularly in the setting of an acute hospitalization. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether implementation of hospital-based specialist palliative care was associated with differences in treatment intensity outcomes for hospitalized patients with dementia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Fifty-one hospitals in New York State that either did or did not implement a palliative care program between 2008 and 2014. Hospitals that consistently had a palliative care program during the study period were excluded. PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized patients with dementia. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome of this study was discharge to hospice from an acute hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation and dialysis, and days in intensive care. Difference-in-difference analyses were performed using multilevel regression to assess the association between implementing a palliative care program and outcomes, while adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and time trends. RESULTS: During the study period, 82,118 patients with dementia (mean (SD) age, 83.04 (10.04), 51,170 (62.21%) female) underwent an acute hospitalization, of which 41,227 (50.27%) received care in hospitals that implemented a palliative care program. In comparison to patients who received care in hospitals without palliative care, patients with dementia who received care in hospitals after the implementation of palliative care were more 35% likely to be discharged to hospice (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.35 (1.19-1.51), P < .001). No meaningful differences in secondary outcomes were observed. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a specialist palliative care program was associated with an increase in discharge to hospice following acute hospitalization in patients with dementia.

Association Between the Implementation of Hospital-Based Palliative Care and Use of Intensive Care During Terminal Hospitalizations.

Importance: The use of intensive care at the end of life continues to be common. Although the provision of palliative care has been advocated as a way to mitigate the use of high-intensity care, it is unknown whether implementation of hospital-based palliative care services is associated with reduced use of intensive care at the end of life. Objective: To determine whether implementation of hospital-based palliative care services is associated with decreased intensive care unit (ICU) use during terminal hospitalizations. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included 51 hospitals in New York State that either did or did not implement a palliative care program between 2008 and 2014. Hospitals that consistently had a palliative care program during the study period were excluded. Participants were adult patients who died during hospitalization. Data analysis was performed between January 2018 and July 2019. Exposure: Implementation of a palliative care program. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was ICU use. A difference-in-differences analysis was performed using multilevel regression to assess the association between implementing a palliative care program and ICU use during terminal hospitalizations while adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and time trends. Results: During the study period, 73 370 patients (mean [SD] age, 76.5 [14.1] years; 38 467 [52.4%] women) died during hospitalization, of whom 37 628 (51.3%) received care in hospitals that implemented palliative care services and 35 742 (48.7%) received care in a hospital without palliative care implementation. Patients who received care in hospitals after implementation of palliative care services were less likely to receive intensive care than patients admitted to the same hospitals before implementation (49.3% vs 52.8%; difference 3.5%; 95% CI, 2.5%-4.5%; P < .001). Compared with hospitals that never had a palliative care program, the implementation of palliative care was associated with a 10% reduction in ICU use during terminal hospitalizations (adjusted relative risk, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85-0.95; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: The implementation of hospital-based palliative care services in New York State was associated with a modest reduction in ICU use during terminal hospitalizations.

A Multivariable Model Predictive of Unplanned Postoperative Intubation in Infant Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND: Unplanned postoperative intubation is an important quality indicator, and is associated with significantly increased mortality in children. Infant patients are more likely than older pediatric patients to experience unplanned postoperative intubation, yet the literature provides few characterizations of this outcome in our youngest patients. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for unplanned postoperative intubation and to develop a scoring system to predict this complication in infants undergoing major surgical procedures. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database was surveyed for all infants who underwent noncardiac surgery between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015 (derivation cohort, n = 56,962) and between January 1 and December 31, 2016 (validation cohort, n = 20,559). Demographic and perioperative clinical characteristics were examined in association with our primary outcome of unplanned postoperative intubation within 30 days of surgery. Risk factors were analyzed in the derivation cohort (2012-2015 data) using multivariable logistic regression with stepwise selection. Parameters from the final model were used to create a scoring system for predicting unplanned postoperative intubation. Data from the validation cohort were utilized to assess the performance of the scoring system using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, 2.2% of the infants experienced unplanned postoperative intubation within 30 days of surgery. Of the 14 risk factors identified in multivariable analysis, 10 (age, prematurity, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, inpatient status, operative time >120 minutes, cardiac disease, malignancy, hematologic disorder, oxygen supplementation, and nutritional support) were included in the final multivariable logistic regression model to create the risk score. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the final model was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.85-0.87) for the derivation cohort and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.82-0.85) for the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: About 1 in 50 infants undergoing major surgical procedures experiences unplanned postoperative intubation. Our scoring system based on routinely collected perioperative assessment data can predict risk in infants with good accuracy. Further investigation should assess the clinical utility of the scoring system for risk stratification and improvement in perioperative care quality and patient outcomes.

Supporting the Geriatric Critical Care Patient: Decision Making, Understanding Outcomes, and the Role of Palliative Care.

Geriatric admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) are common and require unique considerations for ICU clinicians. Admission to the ICU should be considered on an individual-patient basis. It is reasonable to consider a "trial of critical care" for many patients, even those who have uncertain chances of meaningful recovery. Quality of life and functional independence are especially important to older adults, and these outcomes should be considered when weighing the risks and benefits of admission or continuing ICU care.

End-of-Life Care Received by Physicians Compared With Nonphysicians.

Importance: The idea that physicians as patients choose less-aggressive care at the end of life for themselves is an often-cited rationale to advocate for less technology-laden end-of-life care. Objective: To assess end-of-life care received by physicians compared with nonphysicians in a system with universal health care. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this population-level decedent cohort study of data from April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2015 (fiscal years 2004-2014), in Ontario, Canada, 2507 physicians were matched approximately 1:3 to 7513 nonphysicians (ie, individuals who never were registered as a physician with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario) according to age, sex, income quintile, and location of residence. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was location of death. Other outcomes included measures of health care use in the last 6 months of life. Differences were assessed using Poisson regression with robust error variances, adjusting for the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Results: In total, 2516 physicians and 954 836 nonphysicians died between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2015, in Ontario; 2247 physicians (89.3%) and 474 182 nonphysicians (49.7%) were men. The median (interquartile range) age at death was 82 (74-87) years for the physicians and 80 (68-87) years for the nonphysicians. After matching, data for 2507 physicians and 7513 nonphysicians were analyzed. For physicians, the risk of death at home was no different from that for nonphysicians (42.8% vs 39.0%; adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.99-1.09), but the risk of death in an intensive care unit was increased (11.9% vs 10.0%; aRR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08-1.39). In the prior 6 months, physicians had a decreased risk of an emergency department visit (73.0% vs 78.4%; aRR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.98) but increased risks of an intensive care unit admission (20.8% vs 19.1%; aRR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.24) and of receipt of palliative care services (52.9% vs 47.4%; aRR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.13-1.23). Among a subgroup of 457 physicians and 1347 nonphysicians with cancer, the risk of death at home or intensive care unit was increased (37.6% vs 28.6%; aRR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.13-1.50), as was the risk of receiving chemotherapy in the last 6 months of life. Conclusions and Relevance: There was no difference overall for physicians compared with nonphysicians in terms of the likelihood of dying at home; physicians were more likely to die in an intensive care unit and to receive chemotherapy, but also to receive palliative care services. These findings suggest that physicians do not consistently opt for less-aggressive care but instead receive end-of-life care that includes both intensive and palliative care. These findings inform a more nuanced perspective of what physicians may perceive to be optimal care at the end of life.

Association of Overnight Extubation With Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery in the Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: The frequency and safety of overnight extubation (OE) after cardiac surgery across intensive care units (ICUs) is unknown. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of adults (≥ 18 years) in US ICUs after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or aortic valve replacement (AVR) or both, using The Society of Thoracic Surgery Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (July 2014 to June 2017); our primary cohort was elective CABGs. We assessed OE (7:00 pm to 6:59 am) frequency and used multilevel regression modelling to identify factors associated with OE. Within mechanical ventilation (MV) duration strata, we used propensity score matching to evaluate associations of OE with reintubations (primary outcome), mortality, and complications. RESULTS: Among 142,225 patients with elective CABG, 42.2% had OEs. MV duration, cardiopulmonary bypass time, distal anastomosis number, and hospital of admission (median odds ratio [OR] 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.76 to 1.89) were independently associated with OE. After propensity matching, OE was associated with increased reintubation for patients with MV duration of 6 to 8 hours (2.2% vs 1.7%, OR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.56) and decreased reintubation for patients with MV duration of 15 to 17 hours (3.0% vs 4.2%, OR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.97) and 18 to 20 hours (2.3% vs 5.7%, OR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.72); OE was associated with increased ICU length of stay for patients with MV duration of 6 to 8 hours, but reduced length of stay for patients with MV duration of 9 to 20 hours. OE was not associated with increased mortality (hospital, 30-day). Other groups had similar OE rates (nonelective CABGs, 47.6%; elective AVR, 36.0%; elective CABG + AVRs, 51.0%) and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: OE is prevalent after cardiac surgery. OE is associated with little risk and reduces ICU length of stay for patients who require MV for more than 8 hours.

Latent Class Analysis of Specialized Palliative Care Needs in Adult Intensive Care Units From a Single Academic Medical Center.

CONTEXT: In the intensive care unit (ICU), 14% of patients meet criteria for specialized palliative care, but whether subgroups of patients differ in their palliative care needs is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to use latent class analysis to separate ICU patients into different classes of palliative care needs and determine if such classes differ in their palliative care resource requirements. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of ICU patients who received specialized palliative care, August 2013 to August 2015. Reason(s) for consultation were extracted from the initial note and entered into a latent class analysis model to generate mutually exclusive patient classes. Differences in "high use" of palliative care (defined as having five or more palliative care visits) between classes were assessed using logistic regression, adjusting for age, race, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and length of stay. RESULTS: In a sample of 689 patients, a four-class model provided the most meaningful groupings: 1) Pain and Symptom Management (n = 218, 31.6%), 2) Goals of Care and Advance Directives (GCAD) (n = 131, 19.0%), 3) All Needs (n = 112, 16.3%), and 4) Supportive Care (n = 228, 33.1%). In comparison to GCAD patients, all other classes were more likely to require "high use" of palliative care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.61 [1.41-4.83] for "All Needs," aOR 2.01 [1.16-3.50] for "Pain and Symptom Management," aOR 1.94 [1.12-3.34] for "Supportive Care"). CONCLUSION: Based on the initial reason for consultation, we identified four classes of palliative care needs among critically ill patients, and GCAD patients were least likely to be high utilizers. These findings may help inform allocation of palliative care resources for this population.