Time from Extubation to Death in Terminally Ill Patients Who Chose Home Palliative Care versus Hospital Care
Time from Extubation to Death in Terminally Ill Patients
Keywords:
extubation, withdrawal of invasive ventilator, palliative care, end of life careAbstract
Most families let terminally ill patients die in hospital due to uncertainty about the patients’ prognosis if they go home after extubation. This research aims to compare the time from extubation to death of terminally ill patients who chose home palliative versus hospital care. The study uses data from a prognostic factor in a retrospective observational cohort design, tracking data from 5 years at Buddhachinaraj Hospital, Phitsanulok. The duration from extubation to death is measured. It was found that among 171 terminally ill patients who were extubated, 89 patients who chose to die at home had a median time from extubating to death of 4 hours (Q1, Q3 = 2, 19 hours), while 82 patients who chose to die in the hospital had a median time of 3 hours (Q1, Q3 = 2, 20 hours). After adjusting for differences between the two groups of patients, those terminally ill patients who chose to die at home had a 0.3-hour (approximately 18 minutes) sooner chance of dying (95% CI: sooner than 10.8 hours to later than 10.2 hours) with no statistical significance (p = 0.955). These results help guide families in choosing the most appropriate place of care for terminally ill patients based on individual context
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