American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · May 2015
Multicenter StudyThe Timing of Discharge from ICU and Subsequent Mortality: A Prospective Multi-center Study.
Previous studies suggested an association between after-hours intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and increased hospital mortality. Their retrospective design and lack of correction for patient factors present at the time of discharge make this association problematic. ⋯ In this large, prospective, multicenter, binational observational study, we found that patient status at ICU discharge, particularly the presence of LOMT orders, was the chief predictor of hospital survival. In contrast to previous studies, the timing of discharge did not have an independent association with mortality.