Cover: Is Use of Mechanical Ventilation a Reasonable Proxy Indicator for Coma Among Medicare Patients Hospitalized for Acute Stroke?

Is Use of Mechanical Ventilation a Reasonable Proxy Indicator for Coma Among Medicare Patients Hospitalized for Acute Stroke?

Published in: Health Services Research, v. 32, no. 6, Feb. 1998, p. 841-859

Posted on RAND.org on January 01, 1998

by Ronnie D. Horner, Richard J. Sloane, Katherine L. Kahn

The objective of this study was to ascertain whether use of mechanical ventilation on admission to hospital is a proxy indicator of coma (i.e., very severe stroke) among acute stroke patients. This was accomplished via a secondary analysis of data from a medical record review on a nationally representative sample of 2,824 Medicare patients, ages 65 years or older, who were hospitalized for stroke in 1982-1983 or 1985-1986 in 297 acute care hospitals in 30 areas within five geographically dispersed states. The study concluded that a stroke patient's use of mechanical ventilation on the first day of hospitalization is a valid proxy indicator of level of consciousness.

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