Agitation during prolonged mechanical ventilation at a long-term acute care hospital: risk factors, treatments, and outcomes.

Introduction: The prevalence, risk factors, treatment practices, and outcomes of agitation in patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) in the long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting are not well understood. We compared agitation risk factors, management strategies, and outcomes between patients who developed agitation and those who did not, in LTACH patients undergoing PMV.

Methods: Patients admitted to an LTACH for PMV over a 1-year period were categorized into agitated and nonagitated groups.