ICU survivors show no decline in health-related quality of life after 5years.

Abstract

Severe critical illness requiring treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) may have a serious impact on patients and their families. However, optimal follow-up periods are not defined and data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) before ICU admission as well as those beyond 2years follow-up are limited. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of ICU stay up to 5years after ICU discharge. We performed a long-term prospective cohort study in patients admitted for longer than 48h in a medical-surgical ICU. The Short-Form 36 was used to evaluate HRQOL before admission (by proxy within 48h after admission of the patient), at ICU discharge, and at 1, 2, and 5years following ICU discharge (all by patients). Changes in HRQOL were assessed using linear mixed modeling. We included a total of 749 patients (from 2000 to 2007). At 5years after ICU discharge 234 patients could be evaluated. After correction for natural decline in HRQOL, the mean scores of four dimensions-physical functioning (p<0.001), role-physical (p<0.001), general health (p<0.001), and social functioning (p=0.003)-were still significantly lower 5years after ICU discharge compared with their pre-admission levels, although effect sizes were small (<0.5). After correction for natural decline, the effect sizes of decreases in HRQOL were small, suggesting that patients regain their age-specific HRQOL 5years after their ICU stay.