Brief description of media:

A cancer diagnosis can be a life-changing moment marked by uncertainty. As patients and their families prepare for treatment, they may not know what to expect, though it’s important to remember that the five-year survival rates for many types of cancer have risen dramatically over the last several decades. A remission or recovery from cancer can bring about great happiness and relief. However, for some people, it may be the beginning of another set of hurdles, particularly if treatment involved time spent in intensive care.






 

Brief description of media:

The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms ranges from 17% to 44% in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. The relationship between the comorbidity of psychiatric symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in ICU survivors has not been carefully examined. This study examined the relationship between psychiatric comorbidities and QoL in 58 survivors of ICU delirium.

Patients completed 3 psychiatric screens at 3 months after discharge from the hospital, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire for anxiety, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS-10) questionnaire for posttraumatic stress disorder. Patients with 3 positive screens (PHQ-9 ≥ 10; GAD-7 ≥ 10; and PTSS-10 > 35) comprised the high psychiatric comorbidity group. Patients with 1 to 2 positive screens were labeled the low to moderate (low-moderate) psychiatric comorbidity group. Patients with 3 negative screens were labeled the no psychiatric morbidity group. Thirty-one percent of patients met the criteria for high psychiatric comorbidity.

After adjusting for age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index, discharge status, and prior history of depression and anxiety, patients who had high psychiatric comorbidity were more likely to have a poorer QoL compared with the low-moderate comorbidity and no morbidity groups, as measured by a lower EuroQol 5 dimensions questionnaire 3-level Index (no, 0.69 ± 0.25; low-moderate, 0.70 ± 0.19; high, 0.48 ± 0.24; P = 0.017). Future studies should confirm these findings and examine whether survivors of ICU delirium with high psychiatric comorbidity have different treatment needs from survivors with lower psychiatric comorbidity.

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PICS/PICS-F overview for caregivers.

Brief description of media:

PICS/PICS-F overview for caregivers.

Brief description of media:

The goals of the presentation are to help the audience to understand: the types of PICS, what makes up PICS, the "burden of survivorship", and some novel interventions for treatment of PICS.

Brief description of media:

These slides help the medical student understand the types of PICS, what makes up PICS, the “burden of survivorship” and some novel interventions for the treatment of PICS.

Brief description of media:

These slides help the medical student understand the types of PICS, what makes up PICS, the “burden of survivorship” and some novel interventions for the treatment of PICS.

Brief description of media:

Post-intensive care syndrome among families of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors

Brief description of media:

Post-sepsis syndrome (PSS) is a condition that affects up to 50% of sepsis survivors. It includes physical and/or psychological long-term effects, such as:
● Difficulty sleeping, either difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
● Nightmares
● Hallucinations
● Panic attacks
● Disabling muscle or joint pain
● Difficulty concentrating
● Decreased cognitive (mental) functioning
● Loss of self-esteem
● Depression

Brief description of media:

The risk of having PSS is higher among people admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and for those who have been in the hospital for extended periods of time. PSS can affect people of any age, but a study from the University of Michigan Health System, published in 2010 the medical journal JAMA, found that older severe sepsis survivors were at higher risk for long-term cognitive impairment and physical problems than others their age who were treated for other illnesses. Their problems ranged from no longer being able to walk to not being able to participate in everyday activities, such as bathing, toileting, or preparing meals. Changes in mental status can range from no longer being able to perform complicated tasks to not being able to remember everyday things.

Brief description of media:

Background

The sequelae of sepsis were once thought to be independent of sepsis itself and assumed to be either comorbid to sick patients or complications of critical illness. Recent studies have reported consistent patterns of functional disabilities in sepsis survivors that can last from months to years after symptoms of active sepsis had resolved.
Body

Post-sepsis syndrome is an emerging pathological entity that has garnered significant interest amongst clinicians and researchers over the last two decades. It is marked by a significantly increased risk of death and a poor health-related quality of life associated with a constellation of long-term effects that persist following the patient’s bout with sepsis. These include neurocognitive impairment, functional disability, psychological deficits, and worsening medical conditions.
Conclusion

This “post-sepsis syndrome” has been the subject of active preclinical and clinical research providing new mechanistic insights and approaches linked to survivor well-being. Here we review important aspects of these research efforts and goals of care for patients who survive sepsis.

Brief description of media:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after someone experiences a traumatic event. The actual event can be short-lived, such as witnessing an accident or being a victim of a crime, or it can be long-term, like living in an abusive situation or being in a war zone. Not everyone who experiences such events develops PTSD and researchers don’t know why some people do while others don’t.