Immediate vs. Delayed ICU Admission for Patients with CAP

Up to 45% of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) are initially admitted to non-ICU settings. In a secondary analysis of data from four multicenter studies that involved 453 noninstitutionalized adult patients with CAP, researchers compared outcomes in a cohort of 111 patients who were directly admitted to an ICU and 111 patients who were transferred to an ICU within 3 days of presentation. The researchers used propensity score analysis to simulate randomization.

After adjustment for baseline characteristics, multivariate regression analysis showed a significantly shorter hospital stay in the direct-admission group than in the delayed-admission group (median, 7 vs. 13 days) and a si…