Rates of Mechanical Ventilation for Patients With Dementia in Ontario: A Population-Based Cohort Study

The number of elderly patients with dementia receiving invasive mechanical ventilation is increasing over time in the United States, while the balance of potential benefits and harms of intensive care interventions in this population is unclear. In this report, we describe trends in use of invasive mechanical ventilation in elderly individuals with and without dementia in Ontario, Canada, and provide projections of the use of invasive mechanical ventilation through 2025. We show that rates of invasive mechanical ventilation for elderly patients with dementia are increasing faster than for the rest of the elderly (nondementia) population. Accepted for publication November 21, 2018. Funding: This study was supported by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, which is funded by an annual grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The opinions, results, and conclusions reported in this article are those of the authors and are independent from the funding sources. No endorsement by Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences or the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is intended or should be inferred. Parts of this material are based on data and/or information compiled and provided by Canadian Institute for Health Information. However, the analyses, conclusions, opinions, and statements expressed in the material are those of the author(s), and not necessarily those of Canadian Institute for Health Information. Reprints will not be available from the authors. Address correspondence to Hannah Wunsch, MD, MSc, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Rm D1.08, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada. Address e-mail to hannah.wunsch@sunnybrook.ca. © 2019 International Anesthesia Research Society

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