Intensive care survivor‐reported symptoms: a longitudinal study of survivors' symptoms. Issue 1 (15th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Langerud, Anne Kathrine; Rustøen, Tone; Småstuen, Milada Cvancarova; Kongsgaard, Ulf; Stubhaug, Audun
• Is Part Of: Nursing in critical care. Volume 23:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 48
• Page End: 54
• Publication Date: 2017-12-15
• Subjects: Adult intensive care -- Clinical research -- ICU follow‐up -- Intensive care unit survivor -- Symptom; Intensive care nursing -- Periodicals; Critical care medicine -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; 610.7361
• DOI: 10.1111/nicc.12330
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1362-1017

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background: There is growing interest in potential long‐term outcomes following intensive care, but few researchers have studied the prevalence of multiple symptoms or the association between pain and other symptoms. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance and post‐traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among intensive care survivors 3 months and 1 year after being discharged from an intensive care unit (ICU) and to determine whether pain is associated with higher prevalence of these symptoms 3 months and 1 year after ICU stay. Study design: Exploratory, longitudinal cohort of intensive care survivors from two mixed ICUs in a tertiary referral hospital in Norway. Methods: Intensive care survivors completed surveys at 3 months ( n = 118) and 1 year ( n = 89) after ICU discharge. Clinical Trials: NCT02279212. Results: Prevalence rates of intensive care survivors' symptoms were pain 58 (49·2%), anxiety/depression 24/118 (20·8%), fatigue 18/118(15·3%), PTSS 15 (12·8%) and sleep disturbance 58/118 (49·2%) at 3 months after ICU discharge ( n = 118). Prevalence rates at 1 year (n = 89) changed only slightly to pain 34 (38·2%), anxiety/depression 17 (20·0%), fatigue 12 (13·8%), PTSS 13 (15·1%) and sleep disturbance 40/89 (46·5%). Associations were strong between pain and presence of sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression, PTSS and fatigue. Conclusions: Intensive care survivors have multiple symptoms and the prevalence rates of these symptoms remained almost unchanged from 3 months to 1 year after ICU discharge. The presence of pain was associated with high odds for the presence of sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression, PTSS and fatigue, compared to a no‐pain group. ICU survivors may benefit from targeted interventions designed to alleviate the symptom burden. Relevance to clinical practice: Knowledge about ICU survivor's prevalence and risk for having multiple symptoms may help health care professionals to give better care, if needed, to the ICU survivors.