Growth in adult prolonged acute mechanical ventilation: Implications for healthcare delivery*

OBJECTIVE: Patients requiring prolonged acute mechanical ventilation (PAMV, defined as mechanical ventilation > or = 96 hrs) have hospital survival rates similar to those requiring or = 85 (4.6%), and 65-84 (3.4%) age groups. Factoring in both age-specific growth in PAMV population and overall U.S. adult population changes, we project PAMV to more than double from approximately 250,000 cases in 2000 to 605,898 cases by year 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing PAMV are a large and resource-intensive population whose increase outpaces growth in the general U.S. population and in overall hospital volume. Policy makers must factor this projected rapid growth in frequency of PAMV into future resource and work force planning. Given the resource-intensive nature of these patients, strategies need to be developed to optimize their care and to increase efficiency of healthcare delivery to this large and growing population.