When are pulmonologists consulted? Trends and outcomes of pulmonary consultations for unspecified hypoxia.

Background: Clinical judgment is essential in determining the need for specialist consultation. We evaluated patients for whom the pulmonary team was consulted for unspecified hypoxia or acute hypoxic respiratory failure to better understand the characteristics and outcomes of such encounters. Methods: We retrospectively studied patients who received consults for unspecified hypoxia or acute hypoxic respiratory failure at a tertiary center. Outcomes evaluated were length of stay, duration of follow-up, and clinical trajectory. Results: We identified 103 patients over a 2-year period. The level of care was escalated in 69.9% (n = 72) of patients, and the majority had procedural interventions such as bronchoscopies and chest tube placement. Common diagnoses were pneumonia and volume overload. The mortality rate was 17.5% (n = 18). The mean length of stay was 24 days (standard deviation [SD] 24.1), with an average of 6.6 hospital days (SD 9.9) to consultation. The mean duration of consecutive follow-up was 4.5 days (SD 7.5). Patients who underwent procedures had a shorter duration of follow-up. Conclusion: Pulmonary consults were noted for common diagnoses with a high need for escalation in care and procedural interventions, highlighting the importance and appropriateness of specialist consultations. Further studies are needed to explore what triggers an unspecified consult.