QUALITY OF LIFE DURING ONE YEAR FOLLOW UPAFTER INTENSIVE CARE DISCHARGE

Abstract

Patient treated in an Intensive care unit (ICU) are seriously ill. Have a high co‐morbidity, morbidity and mortality. ICUs are resource – demanding as they consume significant hospital resources for a minority of patients. The development of new medical procedures for critical care patients has over the years led to survival of large numbers with more complex illnesses and extensive injuries. Improved survival rates lead to needs for outcome measures other than survival. (1)Death and full recovery are two main and contrary outcomes of intensive care. As survivors often suffer from post intensive care unit (post‐ ICU) consequences, they cannot be regarded as fully recovered. Post‐ICU consequences are caused by an illness itself, organ dysfunction developed before ICU admission or acquired during the stay in the ICU, and/or prolonged intensive care support of failed organ(s). Organ failure in intensive care may have an impact on the life of ICU survivors long after their discharge from the ICU. To evaluate the quality of health and life in such patients as a whole, mere objective clinical or laboratory analyses are not enough. Subjective perception of the physical and mental quality of life by patients themselves becomes more and more important for the evaluation of post‐ICU outcomes.(2) As initial care advances and ICU mortality decreases number of survivors of critical illness is increasing. These survivors frequently experience longlasting complications of critical care. The purpose of this study is to understand these complications & implement evidence based practices to minimize them.