Life-threatening complications after postoperative intermediate care unit discharge: A retrospective, observational study

BACKGROUND: Postoperative patients who require intensive monitoring, intervention with an arterial line, vasoactive drugs and prolonged ventilator weaning are admitted to the postoperative intermediate care unit (IMCU). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of life-threatening complications within 7 days after IMCU discharge. Furthermore, we searched for associations between perioperative risk factors and these life-threatening complications. DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. SETTING: The postoperative IMCU of a university hospital in Tokyo, Japan, between 2010 and 2012. PATIENTS: All adult patients who stayed in the postoperative IMCU and who were discharged to general wards without being transferred to the ICU were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A composite outcome of life-threatening complications needing unplanned ICU admission within 7 days after IMCU stay, or death within 7 days after IMCU stay. RESULTS: Forty out of 3093 patients (1.3%) presented a life-threatening complication; all had an unplanned ICU admission, and none died. Patients with life-threatening complications had a longer length of hospital stay [median 38.0 (interquartile range, IQR 21.3 to 56.8) days vs. 12.0 (IQR 8.0 to 23.0), P 
Source: European Journal of Anaesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Perioperative medicine Source Type: research