Kids dependent on long-term ventilation require longer, more expensive hospital care

	Tweet

Despite significant technological improvements, children reliant on long-term mechanical ventilation often require extensive additional care, including costly hospital stays and emergency visits.

A new study led by University of Michigan researchers found that children with complex chronic conditions who require long-term mechanical ventilation have significantly higher mortality, longer length of hospitalizations, higher mean charges, and more emergency department admissions.

The results of this study, led by Brian D. Benneyworth, M.D., M.S., Pediatric Critical Care and Health Service Research Fellow with the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) unit at the U-M Medical School, are available now online in the journal Pediatrics. 

The study found that the length of initial hospitalizations for children requiring long term mechanical ventilation remained the same between 2000 and 2006, but total admissions (for these children) were up 55%.

Until now, researchers were unclear as to how often this technology was used and how often children requiring long-term mechanical ventilation were admitted for additional care. In an effort to improve patient care and anticipate continued growth in this group of patients, U-M researchers analyzed trends in relevant discharges nationally between 2000 and 2006.

Pediatricians use long-term mechanical ventilation technology to treat lung failure in children with various complex chronic conditions such as muscular dystrophy and premature birth. These ventilation systems are preferred, because they can be used at home.

The study, which analyzed all hospitalizations for children 0-20 years of age requiring long term mechanical ventilation, also found that infants and young children consume the highest proportion of health care resources for this particular demographic.

“Infants less than one year old made up 25% of the population, but used about 50% of the healthcare resources for all the children requiring long-term medical ventilation,” says Benneyworth, who also treats patients at the U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. “This means that there may be tremendous opportunities to improve the care that these young children receive.”

The study also finds that infants have the longest length of hospitalization and the highest in-hospital mortality rates which may be important goals for additional research.

“Programs in many hospitals have been working to improve the discharge process and home care resources available to these children,” says Benneyworth. “But these young children, with their long and expensive hospital stays, have different needs that we should identify.”

The study showed a 55% growth in additional hospitalizations for children needing long-term mechanical ventilation support and a 70% increase in subsequent health care cost. Analysis also shows that in the final years of the study, the demand for additional care was greatest in patients between one and four years of age.

Most notably, infants less than a year old make up a small part of the total population, but also used about half of the total healthcare resources, demonstrating an opportunity for continued optimization in the care of young children requiring long-term mechanical ventilation.

###

Additional authors: Achamyeleh Gebremariam, M.S., Sarah J. Clark, M.P.H., Thomas P. Shanley, M.D., Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P.

Funding: Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Disclosures: None

Citation: DOI: 10.1542 / Peds: 2010-2026

The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the country. It was nationally ranked in all ten pediatric specialties in the U.S. News Media Group’s 2011 edition of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” including third in the country for heart and heart surgery. In November, the hospital moves to a new 1.1 million square feet, $754 million state-of-the-art facility that will be home to cutting-edge specialty services for newborns, children and women.

###

Contact: Lauren McLeod

734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System

RELATED STORIES:
Medicaid costs controversy continues   Violence in Congo puts 54,000 lives at risk:UNICEF   Afghanistan cold said to claim 150 children   Elderly patients admitted with high glucose levels are more likely to die in hospital   EU seeks advice on long-term effects of GMO crops   Using clot buster for mild stroke could save millions   Longevity Gene Also Protects Memory, Cognitive Function   Community hospital implements successful CT radiation dose reduction program   Fitness guru Jack LaLanne dies at 96 in California   Genes may explain why churchgoers are teetotalers   Laura Bush says she, president have living wills   China extends pension system, healthcare

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]