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Mechanical ventilators in US acute care hospitals
Lewis Rubinson1, Frances Vaughn, Steve Nelson
1National Disaster Medical System, 409 C Street, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20224, USA. lewis.rubinson@hhs.gov
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
|December 15, 2010
Summary
US hospitals possess a substantial number of mechanical ventilators, exceeding international comparisons. However, significant state-level disparities exist in ventilator availability, particularly for pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare preparedness
- Medical device inventory
- Public health policy
Background:
- Mechanical ventilation is critical for public health emergencies.
- Quantifying US mechanical ventilator capacity is essential for preparedness.
- Existing data on ventilator availability, especially for pediatric and adult populations, is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the total number of adult and pediatric mechanical ventilators in US acute care hospitals.
- To assess the distribution and features of mechanical ventilators across US healthcare systems.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 5,752 US acute care hospitals from the 2007 American Hospital Association database.
- Measurement of mechanical ventilator quantities and their specific features.
- Estimation of total ventilator numbers, accounting for non-respondent hospitals.
Main Results:
- Over 52,000 full-feature mechanical ventilators were reported by responding hospitals, with 46.4% being pediatric/neonatal capable.
- An estimated 62,188 full-feature mechanical ventilators are owned by US acute care hospitals.
- Wide state-level variations in population-adjusted ventilator supply were observed, with more pediatric-capable ventilators per capita than adult-only ventilators.
Conclusions:
- The US has a higher number of mechanical ventilators per capita than many developed nations.
- Significant geographic disparities in ventilator supply exist across US states.
- The supply of pediatric-capable ventilators is notably higher on a population-adjusted basis compared to adult-only ventilators.
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