BACKGROUND Concurrent admission of a mother and her newborn to separate intensive care units (herein referred to as co-ICU admission), possibly in different centres, can magnify family discord and stress. We examined the prevalence and predictors of mother-infant separation and mortality associated with co-ICU admissions. METHODS We completed a population-based study of all 1 023 978 singleto...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the causes, risk factors, and mortality rates associated with unexpected readmission to medical and surgical ICUs. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE citation review of primary articles focusing on ICU readmission or ICU outcomes from January 1966 to June 1999, and contact with authors of primary studies. STUDY SELECTION Eight primary studies of ICU readmission and eight multi...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to determine incidence, risk factors, and impact on outcome of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. METHODS This prospective observational case-control study, which was a part of a cohort study, was conducted in a 30-bed ICU during a three year period. All immunocompetent patients hospitalised >48 hours were eligible. Patients...

INTRODUCTION Long-term psychological consequences of critical illness are receiving more attention in recent years. The aim of our study was to assess the correlation of ICU-delirium and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) anxiety and depression after ICU-discharge in a Danish cohort. METHODS A prospective observational cohort study assessing the incidence of delirium in the ICU....

BACKGROUND There is an increase in admission rate for elderly patients to the ICU. Mortality rates are lower when more liberal ICU admission threshold are compared to more restrictive threshold. We sought to describe the temporal trends in elderly admissions and outcomes in a tertiary hospital before and after the addition of an 8-bed medical ICU. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis...

BACKGROUND In this study, we primarily investigated whether ICU admission or ICU stay at weekends (Saturday and Sunday) is associated with a different risk of ICU mortality or chance of ICU discharge than ICU admission or ICU stay on weekdays (Monday to Friday). Secondarily, we analysed whether weekend ICU admission or ICU stay influences risk of hospital mortality or chance of hospital dischar...

INTRODUCTION Urinary tract infections remain one of the most frequently encountered acquired complications in an intensive care unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, microbial sensitivity patterns, and clinical outcomes of patients with UTIs acquired during their admission to an ICU in an acute care hospital in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS T...

BACKGROUND Decreasing the ICU length of stay (LOS) after cardiac operations may increase ICU recidivism, obviating the benefit of early discharge. METHODS From January 1, 1994 to January 1, 1998, there were 2,388 consecutive cardiac operations, from which 2,228 patients were discharged alive from the ICU and had sufficient information to determine their incidence of ICU return, the reasons fo...

OBJECTIVE To develop a predictive equation that estimates the probability of life-supporting therapy among ICU monitor admissions and to explore its potential for reducing cost and improving ICU utilization. DESIGN Prospective inception cohort analysis. PARTICIPANTS Forty-two ICUs in 40 US hospitals with more than 200 beds and a consecutive sample of 17,440 ICU admissions. INTERVENTIONS A...