Abstract
There is growing interest in the long term outcomes of critical care. The degree of vocal morbidity suffered by patients surviving intensive care admission has not previously been reported. To determine the degree of subjective, patient-reported vocal morbidity following discharge from intensive care. A prospective study was undertaken of patients admitted to intensive care. A total of 273 consecutive admissions were assessed; 181 patients were suitable for inclusion. The Voice Symptom Scale questionnaire. Eighty-three patients responded. Twenty-seven patients (33 per cent) reported a degree of vocal morbidity greater than that suffered by patients treated for early laryngeal cancer. Thirteen patients (16 per cent) reported a degree of morbidity greater than that suffered by patients attending voice clinics. Up to one-third of patients who survived admission to an intensive care unit reported suffering significant vocal morbidity. The Voice Symptom Scale could be used in an intensive care follow-up setting to identify and ensure the referral of such patients.
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