• Wolfram Windisch, Dominic Dellweg, Jens Geiseler, Michael Westhoff, Michael Pfeifer, Stefan Suchi, and Bernd Schönhofer.
• Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cologne Merheim Hospital, Witten/Herdecke University; Kloster Grafschaft Hospital GmbH, Academic Teaching Hospital of Marburg University, Schmallenberg-Grafschaft; Vest Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine IV: Respiratory, Ventilation, and Sleep Medicine, Academic Teaching Hospital of Bochum University, Marl; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hemer Lung Hospital, Witten/Herdecke University; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Donaustauf Hospital, Regensburg University; Data-quest GmbH -Statistics and Data Management, Göttingen; Department of Respiratory, Intensive Care, and Sleep Medicine, Siloah Hospital, Hanover.
• Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2020 Mar 20; 117 (12): 197204197-204.

BackgroundTo accommodate the increasing number of patients requiring prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation, specialized weaning centers have been established for patients in whom weaning on the intensive care unit (ICU) was unsuccessful.MethodsThis study aimed to determine both the outcome of treatment and the factors associated with prolonged weaning in patients who were transferred from the ICU to specialized weaning centers in Germany during the period 2011 to 2015, based on a nationwide registry covering all specialized weaning centers currently going through the process of accreditation by the German Respiratory Society.ResultsOf 11 424 patients, 7346 (64.3%) were successfully weaned, of whom 2236 were switched to long-term non-invasive ventilation; 1658 (14.5%) died in the weaning unit; and 2420 (21.2%) could not be weaned. The duration of weaning decreased significantly from 22 to 18 days between 2011 and 2015 (p <0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the factor most strongly associated with in-hospital mortality was advanced age (odds ratio [OR] 11.07, 95% confidence interval [6.51; 18.82], p <0.0001). The need to continue with invasive ventilation was most strongly associated with the duration mechanical ventilation prior to transfer from the ICU (OR 4.73 [3.25; 6.89]), followed by a low body mass index (OR 0.38 [0.26; 0.58]), pre-existing neuromuscular disorders (OR 2.98 [1.88; 4.73]), and advanced age (OR 2.96 [1.87; 4.69]) (each p <0.0001).ConclusionWeaning duration has decreased over time, but prolonged weaning is still unsuccessful in one third of patients.Overall, the results warrant the establishment of specialized weaning centers. Variables associated with death and weaningfailure can be integrated into ICU decision-making processes.

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