title: Relationships between mortality, morbidity, and physical function in adults who survived a period of prolonged mechanical ventilation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to report mortality, morbidity, and the relationship between these outcomes with physical function in patients who survived prolonged mechanical ventilation during an intensive care unit (ICU) admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records were reviewed for Western Australian residents admitted to an ICU in 2007 or 2008 who were ventilated for 7 days or longer and survived their acute care stay. Records were linked with data maintained by the Department of Health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 181 patients (aged 52 ± 19 years) were included in this study. In the 12 months after discharge, 159 (88%) survived and 148 (82%) had been hospitalized. Compared with those who were ambulating independently when discharged from acute care, those who were not had more admissions (incident rate ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.57) and a greater cumulative length of hospital stay (10 [37] vs 57 [115] days, P < .001) over the first 12 months after discharge. Time between admission to ICU and when the patient first stood correlated with the number of admissions (Rs = 0.320, P < .001) and cumulative length of stay (Rs = 0.426, P < .001) in the 12 months after discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For survivors of prolonged mechanical ventilation, physical function during acute care was associated with hospitalization over the following 12 months.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. K.Hill@curtin.edu.au
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Shane M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Patman
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Intensive care; Mobility limitation; Outcome assessment (health care); Prolonged mechanical ventilation