Published online Nov 4, 2016. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v5.i4.219
Peer-review started: March 9, 2016
First decision: May 19, 2016
Revised: July 1, 2016
Accepted: August 17, 2016
Article in press: August 18, 2016
Published online: November 4, 2016
Processing time: 241 Days and 10.7 Hours
To investigate the factors associated with the functional progress of hospitalized patients following an intensive care admission.
Retrospective study including data from a cohort of 198 hospitalized patients following an intensive care admission and not requiring mechanical ventilation in a single tertiary referral hospital. A generalized linear model was used to identify the main effects of clinical and demographic variables on the outcomes of functionality (KATZ Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living) and muscle strength (MRC Scale). The covariates identified as independent predictors were analysed using the receiver operating characteristic curves. The analysis differentiated the periods in the intensive care unit (ICU), in the Ward (WARD) and the total time of hospital stay (TOT).
Considering the functional outcome (ΔKATZ), the variables that significantly contributed to the model (P < 0.05) were the KATZ and MRC on admission, age, sepsis (no), and total length of stay (TLS). Regarding the muscle strength outcome model (ΔMRC), the predictors were MRC on admission, Simplified Acute Physiology Score III, previous stroke, TLS, and sex (female). The variable age (AUC = 0.664) discriminated the ΔKATZICU. The variables age (AUC = 0.712), KATZ in ICU (AUC = 0.590) and on ward admission (AUC = 0.746), and MRC on ward admission (AUC = 0.721) were discriminative for ΔKATZWARD. For ΔKATZTOT the variables KATZ on ICU admission (AUC = 0.621) and TLS (AUC = 0.617) were discriminative. For ΔMRCICU the variables SAPSIII (AUC = 0.661) and MRC on ICU admission (AUC = 0.653) were discriminative. MRC on ICU (AUC = 0.681) and ward admission (AUC = 0.553) were discriminative for ΔMRCWARD. TLS (AUC = 0.649) and MRC on ward admission (AUC = 0.696) discriminative for the ΔMRCTOT.
Specific functional, clinical and demographical variables at ICU admission are associated with the functional prognosis during the hospitalization period.
Core tip: In spite of the advances in critical care, functional deficits are commonly observed during and after the hospitalization period. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the factors associated with the functional progress in a cohort of patients that underwent a mobilization protocol, from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the hospital discharge. As functional ability, muscle strength, low illness severity score at ICU and ward admission, absence of sepsis and stroke, longer total length of stay, male gender and younger age were predictors of favourable patients’ functional progress, these variables should be taken in consideration when planning rehabilitative strategies for hospitalized patients following an intensive care admission.