Chest
The most recent articles from:
Chest
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Biography Historical Article
Giants in Chest Medicine: Edward C. Rosenow III, MD, Master FCCP.
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Comparative Study
Hospital-level variation in intensive care unit admission and critical care procedures for patients hospitalized for pulmonary embolism.
Variation in the use of ICUs for low-risk conditions contributes to health system inefficiency. We sought to examine the relationship between ICU use for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and cost, mortality, readmission, and procedure use. ⋯ Hospitals vary widely in ICU admission rates for acute PE without a detectable impact on mortality, cost, or readmission. Patients admitted to ICUs in higher-using hospitals received many critical care procedures less often, suggesting that these patients may have had weaker indications for ICU admission. Hospitals with greater ICU admission may be appropriate targets for improving efficiency in ICU admissions.