Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Mechanical Ventilation Boot Camp Curriculum
Published on: March 12, 2018
Where do we go from here? A small scale observation of transfer results from chronic to skilled ventilator facilities
William B Greenough1, Maaz Ahmed1, Thomas Finucane1
1Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Purpose:
Skilled nursing facility ventilator units (SNF) are a recent attempt to reduce the costs of an increasing number of patients who are in acute intensive care units and are not able to be liberated from ventilators. Transfers of such patients from long-term care chronic vent units (LTCVs) to SNFs in Maryland began in 2006. The safety of these transfers needs to be assessed.
Methods:
We retrospectively followed up all patients designated as eligible by their insurance for transfer from our LTCV units to SNF from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010 looking only at survival. Those patients who refused transfer and appealed and remained in our LTCV were compared to those who were transferred to SNF ventilator units. The analysis was by Kaplan-Meier statistics.
Results:
There was an increased mortality (P=.025) of those transferred to SNF ventilator facilities as compared to those remaining in the LTCV.
Conclusion:
We recognize that bias may occur in patients choosing to remain in our LTCV compared to those accepting transfers, the magnitude of the difference in mortality indicates the need for more comprehensive well designed analysis investigating the outcome of all transfers occurring to and from LTCVs.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...
Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...
Oxygen Delivering System II: Venturi Mask and Transtracheal Oxygen
Venturi Mask
The Venturi mask, named after the Venturi effect, is designed to deliver precise oxygen concentrations. It consists of a large tube with an oxygen inlet that narrows down, causing a pressure drop that pulls air in through adjustable side ports. The mask is a lightweight,...
Acute Respiratory Failure-III
Mechanical Ventilation III: Noninvasive Ventilation
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation...
Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include:

