Hospital utilization for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in saskatoon, Canada

AbstractObjective: This retrospective study reviewed hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Saskatoon, Canada, between 2005 and 2017. The purpose was to understand hospital utilization and admission patterns for patients with ALS in the absence of coordinated multidisciplinary care. Methods: Hospital/ICU admissions were detected at two hospitals in Saskatoon using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) coding for ALS. Patient demographic data, hospitalization and pre-hospitalization information were recorded, and descriptive statistics were generated. Results: Of the 83 patients identified, 52% were male with a mean age of 66.8 years. Fifty-two percent were undiagnosed prior to hospitalization, with significantly longer ICU stays compared to those diagnosed prior to admission (49.4 ± 46.6 vs. 21.9 ± 32.0 days; p = 0.0003). Eighty-nine percent of all admissions (n = 118) were non-elective. Although respiratory dysfunction wa...