Intermediate Care Unit After Cardiac Surgery: Impact on Length of Stay and Outcomes

Current postoperative management of adult cardiac surgery often comprises transfer from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a conventional ward. Intermediate care units (IMCU) permit hospital resource optimization. We analyzed the impact of an IMCU on length of stay (both ICU and in-hospital) and outcomes (in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmissions) after adult cardiac surgery (IMCU-CS).

From November 2012 to April 2015, 1324 consecutive patients were admitted to a university hospital for cardiac surgery. In May 2014, an IMCU-CS was established for postoperative care. For the purposes of this study, patients were classified into 2 groups, depending on the admission period: pre-IMCU-CS (November 2012-April 2014, n=674) and post-IMCU-CS (May 2014-April 2015, n=650).

There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, risk factors, comorbidities, EuroSCORE 2, left ventricular ejection fraction, or the types of surgery (valvular in 53%, coronary in 26%, valvular plus coronary in 11.5%, and aorta in 1.8%). The ICU length of stay decreased from 4.9±11 to 2.9±6 days (mean±standard deviation; P<.001); 2 [1-4] to 1 [0-3] (median [Q1-Q3]); in-hospital length of stay decreased from 13.5±15 to 12.7±11 days (mean±standard deviation; P=.01); 9 [7-13] to 9 [7-11] (median [Q1-Q3]), in pre-IMCU-CS to post-IMCU-CS, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in in-hospital mortality (4.9% vs 3.5%; P=.28) or 30-day readmission rate (4.3% vs 4.2%; P=.89).

After the establishment of an IMCU-CS for postoperative cardiac surgery, there was a reduction in ICU and in-hospital mean lengths of stay with no increase in in-hospital mortality or 30-day readmissions.