Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are highly complex environments where care is often delivered to the most vulnerable patients. Each year, $180 billion is spent on critical care across the country, with 30 percent of all hospitalized patients visiting the Intensive Care Unit each year.
To address the unique needs of these patients, and to improve the outcomes and safety of patient care in intensive care units, Crozer-Keystone Health System has joined the Transformation of the Intensive Care Unit (TICU), a national collaborative sponsored by VHA Inc.
The TICU collaborative goal is for 90 percent of patients on mechanical ventilation to receive six important components of care that have been demonstrated to decrease time on the ventilator, decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia and increase patient survival. These six components of care have become known as the “ventilator bundle.”
The so-called “ventilator bundle” is a series of care interventions focused on patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The “vent bundle” components are not necessarily new or high-tech, but when consistently implemented, they have been shown to produce better outcomes.
The “vent bundle” includes:
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Keeping the head of the bed elevated at 30 degrees
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Using peptic ulcer disease prophylaxis
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Deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis
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Daily interruption of sedative medications
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Daily assessment of the ability to wean from mechanical ventilation
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Control of blood sugar to 110 gm/dl.
By implementing best practices, including care bundles, and creating an ICU culture of collaboration and improvement, the goal is to achieve a reduction in ventilator-associated pneumonia, a steady decline in ICU length of stay and decreased mortality among ventilated patients.
TICU Expert Panel physician participants include Riad Cachecho, M.D., Daniel DuPont, D.O., Kenneth Lander, M.D., Thomas Prestel, M.D., Dale Schumacher, M.D., and Gary Wendell, M.D.