Intensive care unit costs are highest during the first 2 days of admission, stabilizing at a lower level thereafter. Mechanical ventilation is associated with significantly higher daily costs for patients receiving treatment in the intensive care unit throughout their entire intensive care unit stay. Interventions that result in reduced intensive care unit length of stay and/or duration of mechanical ventilation could lead to substantial reductions in total inpatient cost.

VT decrements of 5-10 points were seen for diseases known to cause fatigue. Further, differences of 5-10 points in the VT score were associated with significant increased risk of negative outcomes. We recommend an MID of 5 points for analyses of groups with VT scores below average. For follow-up of individual patients, we recommend a 10-point difference as important.