ICU Ventilators Overused with Advanced-Dementia Patients

Recently JAMA Internal Medicine published a study of over 635,008 hospitalizations of nursing home patients that suffered from advanced dementia as well as sever functional impairments. Even more so between the years of 2000 and 2013, the particular use of mechanical ventilation has nearly doubled in numbers among these types of patients in some more than 2,600 cohort hospitals. However even with these numbers the one-year mortality of ventilated patients still remained above eighty percent. This particular increase in the use of mechanical ventilation raises some particular concerns for patients suffering and the societal costs of the care that goes with it. These particular findings have called for some new efforts in ensuring that the use of mechanical ventilation in particular is consistent with the patient’s goals of care for their clinical condition.

Key Points:

  • 1Medical ventilation can be detrimental to those suffering with advanced dementia and severe functional impairment.
  • 2Studies are showing the higher the number of increased ICU beds in a facility, the higher the number of medical ventilator usage.
  • 3Nursing homes and families should properly educate themselves to learn the most effective, and comforting methods for their loved ones care.


JAMA Internal Medicine today published a study of 635,008 hospitalizations of nursing-home patients with advanced dementia and severe functional impairment. Between 2000 and 2013, the use of mechanical ventilation nearly doubled among these patients in some 2,600 cohort hospitals, yet the one-year mortality of ventilated patients remained above 80 percent.

Read the full article at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-icu-ventilators-overused-advanced-dementia-patients.html

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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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