Surviving intensive care: a report from the 2002 Brussels Roundtable.

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Patient outcomes research

Background:

• Traditional intensive care unit (ICU) goals focus on decreasing short-term mortality, often neglecting long-term patient well-being.
• Critical illness survivors frequently experience significant long-term sequelae impacting their quality of life and functional status.
• Existing outcome measures may not adequately represent the full spectrum of patient-centered outcomes post-ICU.

Framework:

• The 2002 Brussels Roundtable emphasized the need to evaluate long-term outcomes beyond hospital mortality.
• Future research should investigate pre-, intra-, and post-ICU factors influencing patient and family long-term health.
• Critical illness should be viewed as a continuum of care extending beyond the ICU.

Implementation:

• Future clinical trials must incorporate long-term follow-up (≥6 months) assessing survival, quality of life, morbidity, function, and costs.
• Validated instruments like SF-36 and EuroQOL EQ-5D are recommended for quality of life measurement in multicenter trials.
• Further methodological research and instrument development for long-term outcome assessment are encouraged.

Implications:

• Shifting focus to long-term patient-centered outcomes can inform ICU care decisions and improve survivor well-being.
• Implementing ICU discharge screening tools and dedicated follow-up clinics can enhance post-ICU care.
• A global awareness of critical illness as a condition with extended implications is crucial for optimizing patient recovery and long-term health.