Psychological impact of medical evacuation for ICU saturation in Covid-19-related ARDS patients

Psychological impact of Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) in Covid-19 patients is undetermined. The objectives were to evaluate: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in MEDEVAC patients hospitalized in ICU for Covid-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) compared to control group; anxiety, depression rates and outcomes in patients and PTSD in relatives.

This is a retrospective multicentric 1/1 paired cohort performed in 10 ICUs in the West of France. Evaluation was performed 18 months after discharge. Patients and closest relatives performed IES-R (Impact and Event Scale-Revised) and/or HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) scales.

Twenty-six patients were included in each group. Patients were 64 ± 11 years old, with 83% male. We report 12 vs 20% of PTSD in control vs MEDEVAC groups (p = 0.7). Anxiety disorder affected 43.5 vs 28.0% (p = 0.26) and depression 12.5 vs 14.3% (p > 0.99) in control vs MEDEVAC groups. PTSD affects 33.3 vs 42.1% of closest relatives (p = 0.55). Ways of communication were adapted: video calls were more frequent in MEDEVAC patients (8.7 vs 60.9%, p < 0.01) whereas physical visits concerned more control group (45.8 vs 13.0%, p = 0.01).

PTSD rate were similar between groups. Adaptive ways of communication, restricted visits and global uncertainties could explain the absence of differences.