For patients on a ventilator, daily spontaneous awakening and breathing trials lead to less time on assisted breathing, fewer adverse effects, and fewer days in the intensive care unit and in the hospital, according to results from the CDC Prevention Epicenters Wake Up and Breathe Collaborative.

Wake Up and Breathe is a multicenter learning collaborative that uses an all-teach, all-learn model. Each unit had a designated registered nurse, respiratory therapist, and physician champion for the program.

Based on results from the program:

  • Spontaneous awakening performance rates started at 30% at the beginning of the collaborative, and rose to about 70% at the end (cumulative odds ratio [OR], 20; P < .001).
  • Spontaneous breathing rates also rose, albeit more modestly, from 55% to 65% (cumulative OR, 3.2; < .001).
  • Spontaneous breathing trials with sedatives went from just over 50% to almost 100% (cumulative OR, 107; P < .001).