Clinical Outcomes After Early Palliative Care Evaluations in Geriatric Trauma Intensive Care

INTRODUCTION

Older trauma patients are at risk for worse outcomes compared to younger patients. We hypothesized that early initiation of palliative care (EPC) evaluations, within 72 h of trauma intensive care unit (ICU) admission, would be associated with reduced invasive procedures without a change in hospital mortality.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort review was performed of all trauma patients aged ≥65 y admitted to the trauma (ICU) from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021. Patients who received formal palliative care assessments were included. Patient demographics and injury characteristics were evaluated. The primary outcome was ICU length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes included code status change, tracheostomy or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement, use and length of mechanical ventilation, in-hospital mortality, and withdrawal of life-sustaining care.

RESULTS

Two hundred twenty-five patients met inclusion. One hundred and six had EPC while 119 had late palliative care. EPC was associated with decreased ICU LOS (3 versus 9 d, P < 0.001), hospital LOS (3 versus 11 d, P < 0.001), and days on mechanical ventilation (P < 0.001), and fewer tracheostomy (P = 0.007) and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes (P = 0.049). There was no difference in withdrawal of life-sustaining care (P = 0.581) or in-hospital mortality (P = 0.172). Pre-existing code status or code status clarification early in admission was associated with EPC (P = 0.003) and decreased interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

EPC is associated with decreased LOS and fewer invasive procedures without a change in hospital mortality. Early discussions regarding code status are helpful in decreasing hospital costs and futile interventions. Further investigation is required to standardize palliative care in this population.

Identifying Age-Specific Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes After Trauma With Machine Learning

INTRODUCTION

Risk stratification for poor outcomes is not currently age-specific. Risk stratification of older patients based on observational cohorts primarily composed of young patients may result in suboptimal clinical care and inaccurate quality benchmarking. We assessed two hypotheses. First, we hypothesized that risk factors for poor outcomes after trauma are age-dependent and, second, that the relative importance of various risk factors are also age-dependent.

METHODS

A cohort study of severely injured adult trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit 2014-2018 was performed using trauma registry data. Random forest algorithms predicting poor outcomes (death or complication) were built and validated using three cohorts: (1) patients of all ages, (2) younger patients, and (3) older patients. Older patients were defined as aged 55 y or more to maintain consistency with prior trauma literature. Complications assessed included acute renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac arrest, unplanned intubation, unplanned intensive care unit admission, and unplanned return to the operating room, as defined by the trauma quality improvement program. Mean decrease in model accuracy (MDA), if each variable was removed and scaled to a Z-score, was calculated. MDA change ≥4 standard deviations between age cohorts was considered significant.

RESULTS

Of 5489 patients, 25% were older. Poor outcomes occurred in 12% of younger and 33% of older patients. Head injury was the most important predictor of poor outcome in all cohorts. In the full cohort, age was the most important predictor of poor outcomes after head injury. Within age cohorts, the most important predictors of poor outcomes, after head injury, were surgery requirement in younger patients and arrival Glasgow Coma Scale in older patients. Compared to younger patients, head injury and arrival Glasgow Coma Scale had the greatest increase in importance for older patients, while systolic blood pressure had the greatest decrease in importance.

CONCLUSIONS

Supervised machine learning identified differences in risk factors and their relative associations with poor outcomes based on age. Age-specific models may improve hospital benchmarking and identify quality improvement targets for older trauma patients.

Racial and ethnic disparities in withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment after non-head injury trauma

BACKGROUND

Little is known about potential disparities in end-of-life care in trauma. We examined racial/ethnic differences in withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in non-head injury trauma.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the National Trauma Databank (2017-2018), including patients ≥ 18 years without head injury. We performed a bivariate analysis by WLST status and used logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds of WLST by racial/ethnic group.

RESULTS

Of 942,914 identified, 20,052 (2.1%) died. Of those who died, WLST occurred in 29.9%. The adjusted odds of WLST were lower in Blacks (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.41-0.57) and Hispanics (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.89) than Whites. The predicted probability of WLST in Black patients remained lower than Whites at 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Among non-head injured dying patients, Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to utilize WLST than Whites. Further investigation into the socio-cultural norms and institutional distrust influencing these differences is imperative.

Prioritizing Communication in the Provision of Palliative Care for the Trauma Patient

Purpose of Review

Communication skills in the ICU are an essential part of the care of trauma patients. The goal of this review is to summarize key aspects of our understanding of communication with injured patients in the ICU.

Recent Findings

The need to communicate effectively and empathetically with patients and identify primary goals of care is an essential part of trauma care in the ICU. The optimal design to support complex communication in the ICU will be dependent on institutional experience and resources. The best/worst/most likely model provides a structural model for communication.

Summary

We have an imperative to improve the communication for all patients, not just those at the end of their life. A structured approach is important as is involving family at all stages of care. Communication skills can and should be taught to trainees.