Articles: mortality.
-
Kidney dysfunction in the intensive care unit (ICU) results in increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs; however, long-term mortality has not been described across strata of severity in kidney dysfunction. ⋯ Severity of kidney dysfunction in patients in the ICU is associated with an incremental increase in long-term mortality. Although patients classified with either mild or moderate kidney dysfunction had an increased risk for death, use of serum creatinine level alone was poor at discriminating long-term outcome, suggesting this measure alone should not be used for defining long-term prognosis.
-
To determine whether there has been any recent change in the mortality experience of American anesthesiologists. ⋯ We observed a significant increase in the average age at death and a decreased risk of death among anesthesiologists who died in the years 1992 to 2001. Parallel changes were observed in the control population of obstetricians.
-
Controversy remains regarding the relationship between ambient ozone and mortality worldwide. In mainland China, the largest developing country, there has been no prior study investigating the acute effect of O3 on death risk. Given the changes in types of air pollution from conventional coal combustion to the mixed coal combustion/motor vehicle emissions in China's large cities, it is worthwhile to investigate the acute effect of O3 on mortality outcomes in the country. ⋯ O3 pollution has stronger health effects in the cold than in the warm season in Shanghai. Our analyses also strengthen the rationale for further limiting levels of O3 pollution in outdoor air in the city.
-
The health benefits of physical activity are well established, but the overall amount of physical activity associated with cardiovascular and other health outcomes, and whether the relationships are similar in men and women and at different ages is still debated. This may be partly related to different methods for assessing physical activity. Most studies have focused on leisure time physical activity. ⋯ When both work and leisure time physical activity patterns are taken into account, using a simple, pragmatic, validated questionnaire feasible for use in clinical and public health practice, even very moderate levels of usual physical activity are associated with significantly reduced risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease in men and women in the general population and potential population attributable impact of 14% for inactive compared with active levels. These findings may encourage efforts to increase physical activity levels not only in leisure time but also in usual daily working life.
-
Little is known about patient outcomes after discharge planning by inpatient palliative care teams. A major difficulty is that successful discharge planning often effectively limits or ends the team's relationship with the patient and family. The goal of this study was to gather a clearer picture of what happened to our palliative care consult patients after discharge. ⋯ We characterized patient outcomes following inpatient palliative care consultation: where patients are discharged, how long they live, and where they die. Two thirds of patients were able to be discharged, even when death occurred within two weeks. The low rates of readmission and death in an acute care hospital support that the decision to discharge the patients was reasonable and the discharge plan was adequate. Hospital based palliative care teams can play an important and unique role in discharge planning--allowing even patients very near death to leave the hospital if they wish.