Flattening the Disability Curve: Rehabilitation and Recovery after COVID-19 Infection

The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a surge of hospitalizations, many of which have required prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stays and mechanical ventilation.1,2 While considerable attention has been paid to survival rates among the rapidly increasing population of patients infected with COVID-19, a second crisis is emerging —the challenge of managing the high disability burden associated with ICU survivorship.3 ICU survivors, especially those who are mechanically ventilated, often suffer from new or worsening impairments in physical function, cognitive function, and/or emotional health collectively known as post-inte nsive care syndrome (PICS).

Source: Heart and Lung - May 9, 2020 Category: Intensive Care Authors: Jason R. Falvey, Lauren E. Ferrante Source Type: research