Critical Care Medicine · 1986 · 48 citations · 0 references
MedicinePerioperative MedicineSurgeryCardiothoracic SurgeryCritical Care Respiratory TherapyPostoperative Critical CareHospital Resource UtilizationInpatient CarePostoperative Intensive CareResource UtilizationSurgical Resource UtilizationThoracic SurgeryIntensive Care Unit Bed AllocationIntensive Care Unit UtilizationIntensive Care UtilizationMedical Care AreaPostoperative Intensive Care Unit ManagementRespiratory Care After Surgery
We compared utilization of a 14-bed respiratory ICU before and after establishing an intermediate care area (ICA) for patients recovering from cardiac surgery. Availability of the four-bed ICA significantly reduced the duration of ICU stay in patients who had undergone aortocoronary bypass or valvular cardiac surgery, and no potentially preventable deaths resulted from early ICU discharge. Use of an ICA should also decrease ICU utilization for other low-risk monitored patients.