From breaking point to breakthrough during the ICU stay: A qualitative study of family members’ experiences of long-term intensive care patients’ pathways towards survival

IntroductionDue to advances in critical care medicine, more patients survive their critical illness. However, intensive care unit (ICU) survivors often experience long-term physical, cognitive and mental problems, summarised as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In what frequency PICS occurs, and to what extent this influences ICU survivors’ HRQoL, is mostly unknown. The aims of this study are therefore to study the: (1) 5-year patient outcomes, (2) predictors for PICS, (3) ratio between HRQoL of ICU survivors and healthcare-related costs, and (4) care and support needs.MethodsThe MONITOR-IC study is a multicentre prospective controlled cohort study, carried out in ICUs in four Dutch hospitals. Patients will be included between July 2016 and July 2021 and followed for 5 years. We estimated to include 12000 ICU patients. Outcomes are the HRQoL, physical, cognitive and mental symptoms, ICU survivors’ care and support needs, healthcare use and related costs. A control cohort of otherwise seriously ill patients will be assembled to compare long-term patient-reported outcomes. We will use a mixed methods design, including questionnaires, medical data from patient records, cost data from health insurance companies and interviews with patients and family members.Ethics and disseminationInsights from this study will be used to inform ICU patients and their family members about long-term consequences of ICU care, and to develop prediction and screening instruments to detect patients at risk for PICS. Subsequently, tailored interventions can be developed and implemented to prevent and mitigate long-term consequences. Additionally, insights into the ratio between HRQoL of ICU patients and related healthcare costs during 5 years after ICU admission can be used to discuss the added value of ICU care from a community perspective. The study has been approved by the research ethics committee of the Radboud University Medical Center (2016-2724).Clinical trial registrationNCT03246334

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A qualitative study to establish the self-perceived needs of family members of patients in a general intensive care unit

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing ◽

10.1016/s0964-3397(95)82018-3 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 77-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Pamela Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Family Members ◽

The Self ◽

General Intensive Care Unit ◽

Perceived Needs

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Long-Term Outcomes in COVID-19 ICU Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-395294/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nadine Van Veenendaal ◽

Ingeborg Van der Meulen ◽

Marisa Onrust ◽

Wolter Paans ◽

Willem Dieperink ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Psychological Functioning ◽

Employment Status ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Icu Discharge

Abstract BACKGROUNDThe COVID-19 pandemic causes high rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. After ICU-discharge patients and family members can suffer from persisting impairments known as ‘Post Intensive Care Syndrome’ (PICS) and PICS-family. Since COVID-19 is relatively new, there is barely any knowledge on the long-term outcomes of COVID-19 ICU-survivors and their family members.OBJECTIVESThis study aims to gain insight in the long-term physical, social and psychological functioning of COVID-19 ICU-survivors and their family members at three- and six-months following ICU discharge.METHODSA single-center, prospective cohort study was conducted in COVID-19 ICU-survivors and their family members. Enrolled participants received questionnaires at three and six months after ICU discharge. The MOS Short-Form General Health Survey, Clinical Frailty Scale, spirometry tests, McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD-GF6+), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and return to work were used to evaluate physical, social and psychological functioning.RESULTSSixty COVID-19 ICU-survivors and 78 family members participated. Physical functioning was impaired in ICU-survivors as reflected by a score of 33.3 (IQR 16.7-66.7) and 50 (IQR 16.7-83.3) on the physical functioning subscale at 3- and 6-months follow-up respectively. Diffusion lung capacity was reduced in 69% of patients. Ninety percent of the ICU-survivors reported persistent symptoms after 6 months. Social functioning was impaired as 90% of the COVID-19 ICU-survivors did not reach their pre-ICU employment level, 6 months after ICU-discharge. Psychological functioning in ICU-survivors was normal. Family members experienced worse employment status in 35% and 34% including a decrease in employment rate of 18.3% and 7.4% at 3- and 6-months post ICU-discharge, respectively. Psychologically, 63% of the family members reported ongoing impaired well-being due to the COVID-19 related mandatory physical distance to their relatives.CONCLUSIONWe have shown that COVID-19 ICU-survivors suffer from a prolonged burden of disease, prominent in physical- and social functioning, worse employment status and persisting symptoms in 90%. In addition, family members also report long term effects expressed by a reduction in return to work and impaired well-being. Further research needs to extend the follow up and to study the effects of standardized rehabilitation in COVID-19 patients and their family members.

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Cardiac injury biomarkers in the critically ill

10.1093/med/9780199600830.003.0301 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Anthony S. McLean ◽

Stephen J. Huang

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Cardiac Injury ◽

Cardiac Biomarkers ◽

Intensive Care Setting ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Cardiac Biomarker ◽

Cardiac Stress ◽

Intensive Care Patients

To be clinically relevant, a good cardiac biomarker should have four main characteristics. It should be organ-, disease- and stage-specific to be useful in diagnosis. Its release should be timely and its half-life should be long enough to make measurement possible and meaningful. Its serum or blood concentration should be proportional to disease severity; hence, can be used as a monitoring tool. Finally, their concentrations have implications on long-term outcomes. To date, only a handful of cardiac biomarkers have clinical relevance in the intensive care setting—cardiac troponins (as a marker of cardiac injury) and B-type natriuretic peptide (as a marker of cardiac stress) being probably the most useful. However, cautious interpretations of these biomarkers are needed in intensive care patients as several confounding factors can affect their concentrations.

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