Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2022
Meta AnalysisDo Interventions Improve Symptoms Among ICU Surrogates Facing End-of-Life Decisions? A Prognostically-Enriched Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Evaluate the efficacy of interventions to improve symptoms for ICU surrogates at highest risk of developing psychologic distress: those facing end-of-life care decisions. ⋯ Communication and psychological support interventions in the ICU yielded small but significant improvement in psychological symptoms with moderate to very low certainty evidence in a prognostically-enriched sample of ICU surrogates facing end-of-life care decisions. A new approach to interventions that extend beyond the ICU may be needed.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2022
Observational StudyIn-Hospital Depressed Level of Consciousness and Long-Term Functional Outcomes in ICU Survivors.
Among critically ill patients, acutely depressed level of consciousness is associated with mortality, but its relationship to long-term outcomes such as disability and physical function is unknown. We investigated the relationship of level of consciousness during hospitalization with long-term disability and physical function in ICU survivors. ⋯ Depressed level of consciousness, as defined by the RASS, was not associated with disability or self-reported physical function. Future studies should investigate additional modifiable in-hospital risk factors for disability and poor physical function following critical illness.