Key result
Nighttime discharge from the intensive care unit was independently associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality compared to daytime discharge (OR 1.29).
Why the study?
Does nighttime discharge from the ICU increase in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients?
Cohort (n=19,622)
Yes
Does nighttime discharge from the ICU increase in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients?
Odds Ratio: 1.29 (95% CI 1.14–1.46)
Absolute Event Rate: 11.8% vs 8.8%
p-value: p=<0.001
Nighttime discharge from the ICU is independently associated with a 29% increased odds of in-hospital mortality compared to daytime discharge.
Should not yet change discharge timing practices; leaves open whether the association is causal or confounded.
BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the impact of nighttime discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the ward on hospital mortality and readmission rates in consecutive critically ill patients admitted to five Canadian ICUs. We hypothesized that hospital mortality and readmission rates would be higher for patients discharged after hours compared with discharge during the day. METHODS: A multi-center retrospective cohort study was carried out at five hospitals in Edmonton, Canada, between July 2002 and December 2009. Nighttime discharge was defined as discharge from the ICU occurring between 07:00 pm and 07:59 am. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the associations between nighttime discharge and outcomes. RESULTS: Of 19,622 patients discharged alive from the ICU, 3,505 (17.9%) discharges occurred during nighttime. Nighttime discharge occurred more commonly among medical than surgical patients (19.9% vs. 13.8%, P < 0.001) and among those with more comorbid conditions, compared with daytime discharged patients. Crude hospital mortality (11.8% versus 8.8%, P < 0.001) was greater for nighttime discharged as compared to daytime discharged patients. In a multivariable analysis, after adjustment for comorbidities, diagnosis and source of admission, nighttime discharge remains associated with higher mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.29; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.46, P < 0.001). This finding was robust in two sensitivity analyses examining discharges occurring between 00:00 am and 04:59 am (OR 1.28; 1.12-1.47; P < 0.001) and for those who died within 48 h of ICU discharge without readmission (OR 1.24; 1.07-1.42, P = 0.002). There was no difference in ICU readmission for nighttime compared with daytime discharges (7.4% vs. 6.9 %, p = 0.26). However, rates were higher for nighttime discharges in community compared with tertiary hospitals (7.7% vs. 5.7%, P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: In a large integrated health region, 1 in 5 ICU patients are discharged at nighttime, a factor with increasing occurrence during our study and shown to be independently associated with higher hospital mortality.
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Azevedo et al. (2015) conducted a cohort in Critical illness requiring ICU admission (n=19,622). Nighttime discharge from ICU (07:00 pm to 07:59 am) vs. Daytime discharge (08:00 am to 06:59 pm) was evaluated on In-hospital mortality (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.46, p=<0.001). Nighttime discharge from the intensive care unit was independently associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality compared to daytime discharge (OR 1.29).
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