Descriptive Analysis of Extubations Performed in an Emergency Department-based Intensive Care Unit

Introduction

Extubation of appropriate patients in the emergency department (ED) may be a strategy to avoid preventable or short-stay intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and could allow for increased ventilator and ICU bed availability when demand outweighs supply. Extubation is infrequently performed in the ED, and a paucity of outcome data exists. Our objective was to descriptively analyze characteristics and outcomes of patients extubated in an ED-ICU setting.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational study at an academic medical center in the United States. Adult ED patients extubated in the ED-ICU from 2015–2019 were retrospectively included and analyzed.

Results

We identified 202 patients extubated in the ED-ICU; 42% were female and median age was 60.86 years. Locations of endotracheal intubation included the ED (68.3%), outside hospital ED (23.8%), and emergency medical services/prehospital (7.9%). Intubations were performed for airway protection (30.2%), esophagogastroduodenoscopy (27.7%), intoxication/ingestion (17.3%), respiratory failure (13.9%), seizure (7.4%), and other (3.5%). The median interval from ED arrival to extubation was 9.0 hours (interquartile range 6.2–13.6). One patient (0.5%) required unplanned re-intubation within 24 hours of extubation. The attending emergency physician (EP) at the time of extubation was not critical care fellowship trained in the majority (55.9%) of cases. Sixty patients (29.7%) were extubated compassionately; 80% of these died in the ED-ICU, 18.3% were admitted to medical-surgical units, and 1.7% were admitted to intensive care. Of the remaining patients extubated in the ED-ICU (n = 142, 70.3%), zero died in the ED-ICU, 61.3% were admitted to medical-surgical units, 9.9% were admitted to intensive care, and 28.2% were discharged home from the ED-ICU.

Conclusion

Select ED patients were safely extubated in an ED-ICU by EPs. Only 7.4% required ICU admission, whereas if ED extubation had not been pursued most or all patients would have required ICU admission. Extubation by EPs of appropriately screened patients may help decrease ICU utilization, including when demand for ventilators or ICU beds is greater than supply. Future research is needed to prospectively study patients appropriate for ED extubation.

Calcium Administration Is Associated with Adverse Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Parenteral Nutrition: Results from a Natural Experiment Created by a Calcium Gluconate Shortage

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Parenteral calcium is frequently administered to critically ill patients. However, animal studies demonstrate that calcium administration during critical illness heightens inflammation and leads to shock, organ dysfunction, and mortality. We sought to evaluate the association between calcium administration and adverse outcomes in critically ill patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort examined before and during a calcium gluconate shortage. During the shortage, calcium was absent from PN, but calcium supplementation outside of PN was allowed. The shortage resulted in a natural experiment that included a group of patients who did not receive calcium.

SETTING

Intensive care units (ICUs) in three teaching hospitals.

PATIENTS

A total of 259 adults who received PN in the ICU for 48 hours or longer.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Patients were divided into quartiles based on amount of parenteral calcium received; the lowest quartile received no calcium. End points were in-hospital mortality, acute respiratory failure, new-onset shock, and a composite of any one of these end points. For patients not on mechanical ventilation or vasoactive support when PN started, logistic regression revealed that calcium administration was associated with mortality (odds ratio [OR] 2.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-5.69), acute respiratory failure (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.28-4.60), new-onset shock (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.22-6.44), and the combined end point (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.31-4.16). The odds of adverse outcomes increased as the calcium dose increased.

CONCLUSION

Calcium administration correlated with adverse outcomes in critically ill patients receiving PN. The data suggest that administration of parenteral calcium to critically ill patients may be harmful.