Weekend Admission to ICU May Increase Risk of Death

Patients admitted to the ICU on a weekend may have an increased risk of death compared with those admitted during the week. Researchers from the Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, and Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, reviewed 10 cohort studies that evaluated the association between time of admission to the ICU and mortality, with adjustment for severity of disease. The pooled analysis demonstrated that nighttime admission was not associated with increased mortality; however, patients admitted over the weekend had a significant increase in the adjusted risk of death. Researchers speculate that the lower level of staffing and intensity of care provided by some many hospitals on the weekend may account for their findings. This article is published in the July issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

CHEST 2010; 138(1):68–75