Author(s):
Pereira, S. ; Cavaco, S. ; Fernandes, J. ; Moreira, I. ; Almeida, E. ; Seabra-Pereira, F. ; Castro, H. ; Malheiro, M. ; Cardoso, A. ; Aragão, I. ; Cardoso, T.
Date: 2018
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.16/2330
Origin: Repositório Científico da Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António (ULSSA)
Subject(s): Cognitive dysfunction; Patient discharge; Quality of life; Anxiety; Depression; Stress disorders, post-traumatic; Intensive care units; Disfunção cognitiv; Alta do paciente; Qualidade de vida; Ansiedade; Depressão; Transtornos de estresse pós-traumáticos; Unidades de terapia intensiva
Description
Objective: To investigate the longterm psychological outcome in survivors of critical illness after intensive care unit discharge. Methods: A prospective cohort of survivors admitted to a mixed intensive care unit between January and September 2010 was evaluated six months and five years after hospital discharge. The Dementia Rating Scale-2, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Posttraumatic stress syndrome 14-questions inventory, the Euro Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5-D), and the Visual Analogue Scale (EQ VAS) were assessed at both follow-up periods. Results: Of 267 patients, 25 patients were evaluated at 6 months after discharge (62 ± 16 years); 12 (48%) presented cognitive impairment, 6 (24%) anxiety, 4 (16%) depression, and 4 (16%) post-traumatic stress disorder. Among those re-evaluated five years after discharge (n = 17; 65 ± 15 years), the frequency of cognitive impairment dropped from 8 (47%) to 3 (18%) (p = 0.063), due to improvement in these patients over time, and other patients did not acquire any dysfunction after discharge. At five years after discharge, only two patients (12%) reported anxiety, and none had depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. No differences were found between the six-month and five-year follow-ups regarding EQ-5-D and EQ VAS. Conclusion: Survivors do not show a progressive decline in cognitive function or quality of life within five years after intensive care unit discharge. Psychopathological symptoms tend to decrease with time.
