title: Impact of a nurses' protocol-directed weaning procedure on outcomes in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for longer than 48 hours: a prospective cohort study with a matched historical control group.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study was to determine whether the use of a nurses' protocol-directed weaning procedure, based on the French intensive care society (SRLF) consensus recommendations, was associated with reductions in the duration of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay in patients requiring more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study was conducted in a university hospital ICU from January 2002 through to February 2003. A total of 104 patients who had been ventilated for more than 48 hours and were weaned from mechanical ventilation using a nurses' protocol-directed procedure (cases) were compared with a 1:1 matched historical control group who underwent conventional physician-directed weaning (between 1999 and 2001). Duration of ventilation and length of ICU stay, rate of unsuccessful extubation and rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia were compared between cases and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The duration of mechanical ventilation (16.6 +/- 13 days versus 22.5 +/- 21 days; P = 0.02) and ICU length of stay (21.6 +/- 14.3 days versus 27.6 +/- 21.7 days; P = 0.02) were lower among patients who underwent the nurses' protocol-directed weaning than among control individuals. Ventilator-associated pneumonia, ventilator discontinuation failure rates and ICU mortality were similar between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Application of the nurses' protocol-directed weaning procedure described here is safe and promotes significant outcome benefits in patients who require more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation.
authors.affiliation: Réanimation Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France. jean-marie.tonnelier@chu-brest.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tonnelier
authors.forename: Gwenaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prat
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le Gal
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gut-Gobert
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Renault
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boles
authors.forename: Erwan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: L'Her
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D012449:Safety; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods*