Delayed ICU admission of critically ill patients from the ED is associated with longer ICU and hospital stays and worse outcomes.

Cline and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU from the ED between 2004 and 2006 to see if expedited admission (less than 120 minutes) had an effect on mortality, mechanical ventilation duration, or the length of ICU and hospital stays, compared with nonexpedited admission (more than 120 minutes). Of 78 eligible patients, 12 received expedited admission and 66 received nonexpedited admission. The groups didn't differ significantly in demographics, medical condition, or disease severity.

The mean duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly shorter in the expedited than in the nonexpedited group (28.4 versus 67.9 hours, respectively). Similarly, mean ICU length of stay was shorter in the expedited than in the nonexpedited group (2.4 versus 4.9 days, respectively). Mortality rates didn't differ significantly between groups, although there was a trend toward a lower ICU survival rate in the expedited group.