Outcome of patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation after critical illness*

Abstract

The majority of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation in a respiratory unit after acute critical illness are liberated from mechanical ventilation, survive, and have a steady improvement in the activity of daily living during the first 6 months after discharge. However, a substantial fraction of these patients does not wean from mechanical ventilation and dies from consensual withdrawal of life support after a prolonged and costly hospital stay.