Transitioning to Chronic Ventilatory Care
For some ICU patients, the weaning from a ventilator and recovery from an acute illness may last weeks to months. These patients are known as Chronically Critically Ill (CCI).
For these patients, the model of care in the ICU changes to optimize weaning from the ventilator, maximize rehabilitation, ensure good nutrition, and promotion of psychological recovery.
In the Medical Surgical ICU (MSICU), these CCI patients are co-horted in the Extended ICU to promote best practices, and a care environment conducive to the unique care needs.
Tools to assist with supporting the CCI patient include:
1. CCI & Long Term ICU screening tool
2. CCI model of care checklist
3. CCI brochure for families
4. CCI Lifestyle and functional assessment
For the majority of the CCI patients, this recovery may take weeks to months, especially for the elderly, or for those patients with multiple chronic diseases . After weeks to months, some patients who are not able to wean from the ventilator die. Other patients are otherwise stable but unable to wean from the ventilator and may be appropriate candidates for LTV.
