Functional disability and post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors of mechanical ventilation: a cross-sectional study in Guangzhou, China

BACKGROUND: Critical illness is associated with cognitive, physical, and psychological impairments; however, evidence of the severity and frequency of impairments in Chinese survivors of mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU) remains limited. Our aim was to investigate the incidence and severity of impairments in Chinese survivors of mechanical ventilation in ICU and to explore risk factors influencing specific impairments. METHODS: Patients discharged alive after mechanical ventilation in a large general ICU for ≥2 days were enrolled in this single-center cross-sectional study. Survivors were evaluated using measures of functional disability (Activity of Daily Living Scale), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, The Impact of Event Scale-Revised) via telephone interview. Multivariable analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 130 consenting survivors. At follow-up (mean: 19.64 months), among those in part-time or full-time employment prior to admission, only 45.1% had returned to work. Further, 29.2% of survivors had clear disabilities affecting daily living. Deficits in activities of daily living (ADL) were mainly characterized by impairment of instrumental ADL. Predictors of ADL in mechanically ventilated survivors included age, ICU admission diagnosis, and Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, which accounted for 33.5% of total variance. Furthermore, 17.7% of participants had symptoms consistent with PTSD. ICU length of stay was the only predictor of PTSD, and accounted for 7.5% of total variance. CONCLUSIONS: ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation in China face negative impacts on employment, and commonly have ADL impairment and PTSD. Age, ICU admission diagnosis, and APACHE II score were key factors influencing ADL, while ICU length of stay was the only factor affecting PTSD. These findings suggest that some survivors who have had certain exposures may warrant closer follow-up, and systematic interventions for these high-risk survivors should be developed in China.