Acute palliative care unit discharge outcomes: intensive versus non-intensive care transfers.
Only 22.4% of intensive care unit-transferred palliative care patients were discharged alive.
Acute palliative care unit discharge outcomes: intensive versus non-intensive care transfers.
No studies examining clinical outcomes for patients transferred to an acute palliative care unit (acute palliative care unit) from an intensive care unit (intensive care unit) versus a non-intensive care unit exist.
All patients transferred to our acute palliative care unit from an intensive care unit from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2023 and an equally sized random sample of patients transferred from a non-intensive care unit during the same period were identified.
Share of intensive care unit-transferred patients discharged alive, lower than 32.8% for non-intensive care unit transfers.
Of the 109 patients discharged from our acute palliative care unit, most went either to hospice care at home (54.1%, n=59) or to inpatient hospice care (40.4%, n=44), and there was no difference in discharge location between the intensive care unit and the non-intensive care unit groups (p=0.93).
On multivariable analysis, acute palliative care unit mortality was more likely in the group overall among patients who were receiving oxygen via a high-flow nasal cannula (high-flow nasal cannula) (OR, 2.47 (1.25 to 4.90); p=0.01).
Despite the acute palliative care unit mortality in this cohort being high, 22.4% of patients transferring from the intensive care unit were successfully discharged to the community.
high-flow nasal cannula use at the time of acute palliative care unit transfer was independently associated with increased odds of acute palliative care unit mortality.