Annals of plastic surgery
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Annals of plastic surgery · Jul 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialClinical features and outcome of patients admitted to the intensive care unit after plastic surgical procedures: implications for cost reduction and quality of care.
Recent interest in cutting cost and improving utilization and delivery of perioperative services has prompted surgeons to identify patient populations that would benefit from care in an intensive care unit as opposed to intermediate or standard care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) after major plastic/reconstructive surgical procedures in order to determine appropriate perioperative management strategies for these patients. We reviewed retrospectively the data from 2,805 consecutive admissions to the SICU between 1990 and 1996. ⋯ Based on severity of illness scoring and eventual mortality, patients admitted to our SICU after major reconstructive surgery were selected appropriately for that setting. In contrast, the patients who stayed in the PACU for perioperative monitoring did not require life-supporting therapy and, therefore, were overmonitored. Care could be provided in a specialized unit with dedicated nursing specifically trained for that purpose.