Introduction
Materials and methods
Patients
Demographical data
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms
Health-related quality of life
Symptoms of psychopathology
Social support
Statistical analysis
Results
Characteristic | All studied patients | 'High-scoring patients' | 'Low-scoring patients' |
---|---|---|---|
Risk for development of PTSD, n (percentage) | 65 | 18 (29%) | 44 (71%) |
PTSD score (mean ± SD) | 28.1 ± 13.9 | 46.3 ± 8.9 | 20.6 ± 7.1a |
Age, years (mean ± SD) | 39 ± 15 | 41 ± 13 | 39 ± 15 |
Sex, n (male/female) | 35/30 | 8/10 | 25/19 |
Period between discharge and study, months (mean ± SD) | 57 ± 32 | 56 ± 33 | 59 ± 31 |
Lung Injury Score (mean ± SD) | 3.2 ± 0.5 | 3.3 ± 0.5 | 3.2 ± 0.5 |
APACHE II score (mean ± SD) | 16 ± 6 | 15 ± 4 | 16 ± 6 |
ICU length of stay, days (mean ± SD) | 47 ± 32 | 59 ± 37.0 | 42 ± 29b |
Duration of mechanical ventilation, days (mean ± SD) | 30 ± 22 | 37 ± 22 | 27 ± 22 |
Cause of ARDS, n (percentage within group) | |||
Sepsis | 13 (20) | 5 (28) | 8 (18) |
Pneumonia | 28 (43) | 7 (39) | 20 (45.5) |
Multiple trauma | 20 (31) | 5 (28) | 14 (32) |
Other | 4 (6) | 1 (6) | 2 (4,5) |
ECMO, n (percentage within group) | 7 (11) | 3 (17) | 4 (9) |
Current status of employment, n (percentage within group) | |||
Work/training | 29 (46) | 7 (39) | 22 (50) |
Unemployed/working at home | 5 (8) | 1 (5.5) | 4 (9) |
Retired | 7 (10) | 1 (5.5) | 6 (14) |
Disabled | 12 (18) | 8 (44) | 4 (9)b |
Others | 6 (13) | 1 (5.5) | 5 (11) |
No data | 3 (5) | - | 3 (7) |
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Group | PTSS-10 score (mean ± SD) | Number of recollections, n (percentage) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
All patients | 28.1 ± 13.9 | 3 (5) | 7 (12) | 17 (29) | 13 (22) | 19 (32) |
'High-scoring patients' | 46.3 ± 8.9 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (17) | 6 (33) | 9 (50) |
'Low-scoring patients' | 20.6 ± 7.1 | 3 (7) | 7 (17) | 14 (34) | 7 (17) | 10 (24) |
Difference | t = - 3.74; p ≤ 0.0001 |
Group | Traumatic memories (percentage) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pain | Difficulties in breathing | Nightmares | Anxiety | |
All patients | 61 | 68 | 79 | 63 |
'High-scoring patients' | 78 | 78 | 89 | 89 |
'Low-scoring patients' | 53 | 63 | 74 | 51 |
Difference | χ2 = 3.3; p = 0.087b | n.s. | n.s. | χ2 = 7.6; p ≤ 0.008a |
Health-related quality of life
Psychological test and group | HRQoL | ANOVA | Post-hoc test | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F
| d.f. |
p
| |||
Physical component score | 34.42 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 41 ± 11 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 45 ± 12 | ||||
Healthy control | 56 ± 4 | ||||
Mental component score | 48.94 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 37 ± 12 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 52 ± 8 | ||||
Healthy control | 53 ± 4 | ||||
Physical function | 36.81 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 61 ± 28 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 78 ± 21 | ||||
Healthy control | 96 ± 9 | ||||
Physical role function | 17.92 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 58 ± 36 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 72 ± 40 | ||||
Healthy control | 98 ± 13 | ||||
Bodily pain | 35.81 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 55 ± 33 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 68 ± 27 | ||||
Healthy control | 96 ± 13 | ||||
General health | 37.52 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 41 ± 22 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 62 ± 23 | ||||
Healthy control | 80 ± 14 | ||||
Vitality | 63.80 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 30 ± 14 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 59 ± 16 | ||||
Healthy control | 73 ± 13 | ||||
Social function | 37.61 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 51 ± 28 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 86 ± 18 | ||||
Healthy control | 94 ± 13 | ||||
Emotional function | 31.32 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, b, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 49 ± 44 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 87 ± 25 | ||||
Healthy control | 99 ± 9 | ||||
Mental health | 54.11 | 2;122 | 0.0001 |
a, c
| |
'High-scoring patients' | 43 ± 17 | ||||
'Low-scoring patients' | 76 ± 14 | ||||
Healthy control | 79 ± 10 |
Psychological impairments
Dimensions | 'High-scoring patients (n = 18) | 'Low-scoring patients' (n = 44) | t test | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
t
| d.f. |
p
| |||
Somatization | 69 ± 11 | 56 ± 12 | - 3.92 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Obsessive-compulsive | 68 ± 10 | 50 ± 11 | - 6.20 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Interpersonal sensitivity | 68 ± 11 | 49 ± 10 | - 6.63 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Depression | 70 ± 13 | 49 ± 9 | - 6.21 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Anxiety | 72 ± 8 | 52 ± 10 | - 7.12 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Hostility | 69 ± 11 | 50 ± 9 | - 6.94 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Phobic anxiety | 67 ± 10 | 50 ± 9 | - 6.28 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Paranoid ideation | 66 ± 9 | 49 ± 10 | - 6.30 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Psychoticism | 70 ± 9 | 49 ± 9 | - 8.62 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Global Severity Index | 73 ± 8 | 51 ± 11 | - 7.60 | 60 | 0.0001 |
Social support
F-Sozu dimension | All patients (n = 62) | 'High-scoring patients' (n = 18) | 'Low-scoring patients' (n = 44) | t test | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
t
| d.f. |
p
| ||||
Total social support | 4.3 ± 0.8 | 3.9 ± 1.0 | 4.4 ± 0.5 | 2.90 | 22.6 | ≤ 0.01 |
Emotional support | 4.4 ± 0.8 | 4.2 ± 0.9 | 4.4 ± 0.7 | 2.24 | 20.9 | ≤ 0.05 |
Practical support | 4.0 ± 0.8 | 3.5 ± 0.9 | 4.3 ± 0.6 | 1.88 | 60 | ≤ 0.064a |
Social integrity | 4.2 ± 0.7 | 3.9 ± 0.8 | 4.4 ± 0.5 | 3.53 | 23.4 | ≤ 0.005 |
Period between discharge from intensive care unit and study
Discussion
Trigger of post-traumatic stress disorder, the traumatic event
Fear of suffocation
Nightmares
Effect of mechanical ventilation
Strategies for prevention
Conclusion
Key messages
-
In these survivors of severe ARDS, anxiety is a crucial traumatic memory during the ICU stay and is significantly linked with the risk of developing PTSD.
-
Physical impairment was not responsible for reduced HRQoL in patients suffering from persistently high PTSD symptom scores (a high score indicates an increased risk of developing PTSD). Physical impairment slowly but steadily improved in many patients and subsequently became less and less important.
-
Psychiatric symptoms persisted much longer than symptoms of physical impairment.
-
Recall of social support during a burdensome ICU stay and rehabilitation may be positively associated with subsequent mental health, risk of PTSD and long-term outcomes including employment status.