TY - JOUR T1 - Outcome of Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit: a Randomized Controlled Double-Blind Prospective Pilot Study. JF - Respiratory Care DO - 10.4187/respcare.01791 SP - respcare.01791 AU - Vikas Pathak AU - Iliana Samara Hurtado Rendon AU - Roxana Lupu AU - Nancy Tactuk AU - Toyosi Olutade AU - Carolyn Durham AU - Richard Stumacher Y1 - 2013/03/26 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2013/03/26/respcare.01791.abstract N2 - Introduction: The effect of nicotine withdrawal in smokers admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) is not well understood; therefore, the role of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in those patients is controversial. Objective: To demonstrate that NRT in ICU patients decreases need for sedatives/analgesics, number of days on ventilator, and total length of ICU stay. Methods: The study was performed in a 20-bed ICU. Forty patients meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were randomized into either an interventional or control group. Patients in the interventional group received a 21mg nicotine patch daily until either discharged from the ICU, transferred to a medical floor, or after 10 weeks. Patients in the control group received a placebo (no drug) patch. Use of sedatives/analgesics during ICU stay and use and duration of mechanical ventilator were collected. Length of ICU stay was compared between groups. Results: There were 27 male and 13 female patients. Mean age was 57.4 years in the interventional group and 52.5 years in the control group. Mean APACHE II score was 14.3 in the interventional group versus 13.8 in the control group. Mean length of ICU stay was 4.5 days in the interventional group, compared to 7 days in the control group. Mean number of days on ventilator was 1.9 in the interventional group versus 3.5 in the control group. Number of days on sedation/analgesia was less in the interventional group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Although the length of ICU stay and number of days on ventilator seemed to decrease numerically in this pilot study, statistically there was no beneficial effect demonstrated in patients receiving NRT. ER -