Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients

In a multicenter observational cohort of patients-admitted to intensive care units (ICU), we assessed whether creatinine elevation prior to dialysis initiation in acute kidney injury (AKI-D) further discriminates risk-adjusted mortality. AKI-D was categorized into four groups (Grp) based on creatinine elevation aer ICU admission but before dialysis initiation: Grp I > 0.3 mg/dL to <2-fold increase, Grp II ≥2 times but <3 times increase, Grp III ≥3-fold increase in creatinine, and Grp IV none or <0.3 mg/dl increase. Standardized mortality rates (SMR) were calculated by using a validated risk-adjusted mortality model and expressed with 95% con�dence intervals (CI). 2,744 patients developed AKI-D during ICU stay; 36.7%, 20.9%, 31.2%, and 11.2% belonged to groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively. SMR showed a graded increase in Grp I, II, and III (1.40 (95% CI, 1.29-1.42), 1.84 (1.66-2.04), and 2.25 (2.07-2.45)) and was 0.98 (0.78-1.20) in Grp IV. In ICU patients with AKI-D, degree of creatinine elevation prior to dialysis initiation is independently associated with hospital mortality. It is the lowest in those experiencing minor or no elevations in creatinine and may represent reversible �uid-electrolyte disturbances

Declining mortality following acute myocardial infarction in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is declining worldwide. We sought to determine if mortality in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has also been declining.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We calculated 30-day mortality rates between 2004 and 2006 using data from the VHA External Peer Review Program (EPRP), which entails detailed abstraction of records of all patients with AMI. To compare trends within VHA with other systems of care, we estimated relative mortality rates between 2000 and 2005 for all males 65 years and older with a primary diagnosis of AMI using administrative data from the VHA Patient Treatment File and the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) files.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using EPRP data on 11,609 patients, we observed a statistically significant decline in adjusted 30-day mortality following AMI in VHA from 16.3% in 2004 to 13.9% in 2006, a relative decrease of 15% and a decrease in the odds of dying of 10% per year (p = .011). Similar declines were found for in-hospital and 90-day mortality.</p> <p>Based on administrative data on 27,494 VHA patients age 65 years and older and 789,400 Medicare patients, 30-day mortality following AMI declined from 16.0% during 2000-2001 to 15.7% during 2004-June 2005 in VHA and from 16.7% to 15.5% in private sector hospitals. After adjusting for patient characteristics and hospital effects, the overall relative odds of death were similar for VHA and Medicare (odds ratio 1.02, 95% C.I. 0.96-1.08).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mortality following AMI within VHA has declined significantly since 2003 at a rate that parallels that in Medicare-funded hospitals.</p

Persistence of High Health Care Costs among VA Patients

ObjectivesTo examine high-cost patients in VA and factors associated with persistence in high costs over time.Data sourcesSecondary data for FY2008-2012.Data extractionWe obtained VA and Medicare utilization and cost records for VA enrollees and drew a 20 percent random sample (N&nbsp;=&nbsp;1,028,568).Study designWe identified high-cost patients, defined as those in the top 10 percent of combined VA and Medicare costs, and determined the number of years they remained high cost over 4&nbsp;years. We compared sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and baseline utilization by number of high-cost years and conducted a discrete time survival analysis to predict high-cost persistence.Principal findingsAmong 105,703 patients with the highest 10 percent of costs at baseline, 68 percent did not remain high cost in subsequent years, 32 percent had high costs after 1&nbsp;year, and 7 percent had high costs in all four follow-up years. Mortality, which was 47 percent by end of follow-up, largely explained low persistence. The largest percentage of patients who persisted as high cost until end of follow-up was for spinal cord injury (16 percent).ConclusionMost high-cost patients did not remain high cost in subsequent years, which poses challenges to providers and payers to manage utilization of these patients

Despite variation in volume, Veterans Affairs hospitals show consistent outcomes among patients with non-postoperative mechanical ventilation

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between volume of nonoperative mechanically ventilated patients receiving care in a specific Veterans Health Administration hospital and their mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: One-hundred nineteen Veterans Health Administration medical centers. PATIENTS: We identified 5,131 hospitalizations involving mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care unit during 2009, who did not receive surgery. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We extracted demographic and clinical data from the VA Inpatient Evaluation Center. For each hospital, we defined volume as the total number of nonsurgical admissions receiving mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit during 2009. We examined the hospital contribution to 30-day mortality using multilevel logistic regression models with a random intercept for each hospital. We quantified the extent of interhospital variation in 30-day mortality using the intraclass correlation coefficient and median odds ratio. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the relationship between volume and 30-day mortality and risk-adjusted all models using a patient-level prognostic score derived from clinical data representing the risk of death conditional on treatment at a high-volume hospital. Mean age for the sample was 65 (SD 11) yrs, 97% were men, and 60% were white. The median VA hospital cared for 40 (interquartile range 19-62) mechanically ventilated patients in 2009. Crude 30-day mortality for these patients was 36.9%. After reliability and risk adjustment to the median patient, adjusted hospital-level mortality varied from 33.5% to 40.6%. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the hospital-level variation was 0.6% (95% confidence interval 0.1, 3.4%), with a median odds ratio of 1.15 (95% confidence interval 1.06, 1.38). The relationship between hospital volume of mechanically ventilated and 30-day mortality was not statistically significant: each 50-patient increase in volume was associated with a nonsignificant 2% decrease in the odds of death within 30 days (odds ratio 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.87-1.10). CONCLUSIONS: Veterans Health Administration hospitals caring for lower volumes of mechanically ventilated patients do not have worse mortality. Mechanisms underlying this finding are unclear, but, if elucidated, may offer other integrated health systems ways to overcome the disadvantages of small-volume centers in achieving good outcomes.Supported, in part, by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development Services IIR 11–109 (TJI). The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent those of the Department of Veterans AffairsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93629/1/12.Cooke.CCM.VA.Volume.Outcomes.pd

Organizational factors associated with decreased mortality among veterans affairs patients with an ICU stay

In-hospital mortality rates associated with an ICU stay are high and vary widely among units. This variation may be related to organizational factors such as staffing patterns, ICU structure, and care processes. We aimed to identify organizational factors associated with variation in in-hospital mortality for patients with an ICU stay. This was a retrospective observational cross-sectional study using administrative data from 34 093 patients from 171 ICUs in 119 Veterans Health Administration hospitals. Staffing and patient data came from Veterans Health Administration national databases. ICU characteristics came from a survey in 2004 of ICUs within the Veterans Health Administration. We conducted multilevel multivariable estimation with patient-, unit-, and hospital-level data. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Of 34 093 patients, 2141 (6.3%)died in the hospital. At the patient level, risk of complications and having a medical diagnosis were significantly associated with a higher risk of mortality. At the unit level, having an interface with the electronic medical record was significantly associated with a lower risk of mortality. The finding that electronic medical records integrated with ICU information systems are associated with lower in-hospital mortality adds support to existing evidence on organizational characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality among ICU patients.<br /