Long-term outcome after the acute respiratory distress syndrome: different from general critical illness?

Purpose of review To review the current research data on long-term outcome and health-related quality of life in survivors of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to compare these findings with those from non-ARDS patients surviving critical illness. Recent findings Between 6 months and 2 years after discharge from ICU, survivors of ARDS present with substantial impairments of the levels of body function (muscle strength, walking capacity and/or physical activity (physical SF-36 score). In contrast to non-ARDS patients from surgical ICUs, a standardized intensified physical therapy during early course of illness in ARDS patients could not show an improvement of long-term physical function performance. Furthermore, a substantial part of further ARDS patients suffer from depression (26–33%), anxiety (38–44%) or posttraumatic stress disorder (22–24%). In general, the level of functional autonomy and daily life activities was reduced, and in one study, 6 months after ICU-discharge this level was significantly lower in ARDS patients compared with non-ARDS patients. In a recent study, 44% of ARDS survivors were jobless 1 year after critical illness, whereas half of previously employed patients returned to work within 4 months after hospital discharge. General health-related quality of life was significantly reduced compared with a matched population in all studies. Summary Surviving ARDS is associated with a long-term substantial reduction in health-rela...
Source: Current Opinion in Critical Care - Category: Nursing Tags: RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: Edited by Michael Quintel and Luciano Gattinoni Source Type: research