Quality of life and persisting symptoms in intensive care unit survivors: implications for care after discharge.

Background: We assessed the quality of life of ICU survivors using SF-36 at 4 months after ICU discharge and investigated any correlation of PCS and MCS with age, illness severity and hospital or ICU length of stay. We examined the relationship between these variables, persisting physical and psychological symptoms and the perceived benefit of individual patients of follow-up.

Findings: For one year, adult patients admitted for multiple organ or advanced respiratory support for greater than 48 hours to a 16-bedded teaching hospital general intensive care unit were identified.