15 Nov Heart Disease Patients Admitted To Critical Care Units in Teaching Hospitals May Fare Better
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Sean van Diepen
Dr. Sean van Diepen, MD, FRCPC
Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Cardiology
Coronary Intensive Care Unit Co-Director
University of Alberta Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Studies have documented a wide variation in CCU admission rates for patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or heart failure (HF). The reasons underpinning these differences are incompletely understood and little is known about the associations between hospital type, resource utilization, and clinical outcomes among patients admitted to the CCU with an ACS or HF.
In a national cohort of 220,759 patients, we observed that CCU admission rates varied by hospital type: 41% in teaching hospitals, 29.9% in large teaching hospitals, 42.6% in medium community hospitals and13.7% in small community hospitals. The percentage of patients that did not receive critical care therapies within the first 2 days of admission were: 35.5%, 58.0%, 83.3% and 95.6%, respectively. Compared large community hospitals, community hospitals all had higher adjusted in hospital mortality rates.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: First, there are marked disparities in the CCU admission rates and provision of critical care therapies (a marker of acuity) across hospital types.
Second, patients admitted to CCUs in teaching hospitals are more likely to survive to hospital discharge despite higher acuity levels.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: There is a need to better understand the patient, physician, hospital and system variables that contribute to the differences in CCU resource utilization and outcomes. Standardizing CCU admission practices have the potential to reduce critical care capacity strain, reduce health care costs and better align hospital resources with patient care needs.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Abstract presented November 2016 at the AHA
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on November 15, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD