SURVIVAL AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE AFTER INTENSIVE-CARE

Objective: To determine survival and changes in quality of life (QOL) after hospital discharge in patients who had stayed in an intensive ca re unit (ICU). Design: Prospective study by direct interviews during I CU stay and 6 months after hospital discharge. Setting: Surgical-medic al ICU. Patients and methods: We interviewed cooperative, adult patien ts admitted consecutively to the ICU for more than 24 h, living near t he hospital, who gave informed consent. The following QOL domains were investigated: residence, physical activity, social life, perceived QO L, oral communication and functional limitation. Results: One-year sur vival was 82.4% (predicted 84%). Mortality was 36.3% after urgent neop lastic surgery, 19.4% for medical admissions and 4.9% after non-neopla stic surgery. Of 160 patients studied, eight cases, older and already deteriorated at the first interview, could not respond to the perceive d QOL item after ICU discharge. In the other 152 patients, physical ac tivity was reduced in 31% (usually slightly), social life had worsened in 32% and functional limitation increased in 30%. The perceived QOL did not change. Conclusions: After hospital discharge, the survival of ICU-admitted patients is comparable to that of the general population and not related to ICU treatments. Most patients maintain their physi cal activity and social status at the preadmission level. Any worsenin g, if present, is slight and does not influence perceived QOL.