Clinical impact of COVID-19 respiratory infection 15 months after intensive care unit discharge

Area of Science:

• Intensive Care Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Long COVID, or persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, presents a significant public health challenge.
• Understanding the long-term sequelae of severe COVID-19, particularly in patients requiring intensive care, is crucial for effective management and rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of persistent COVID-19 symptoms 15 months after ICU discharge.
• To evaluate the impact of these symptoms on physical, psychological, and neurocognitive functions.
• To determine the burden experienced by primary caregivers of long COVID patients.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, ambispective observational study was conducted.
• 85 patients discharged from an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after SARS-CoV-2 infection were evaluated.
• Data collected included demographics, hospitalization details, persistent symptoms questionnaires, functional tests (6-Minute Walk Test), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), PTSD, and caregiver burden (Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale).

Main Results:

• High prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (arthralgia 44.7%, myalgia 38.2%), cognitive impairments (52.9%), sleep disturbances (34.1%), asthenia (44.5%), and anxiety (34.5%) were reported.
• Psychological distress was evident, with 29.4% reporting "fear of the worst" and 35% experiencing recurrent ICU memories.
• Caregivers reported significant burden, with 22.2% finding caregiving a substantial challenge.

Conclusions:

• Persistent COVID-19 significantly affects physical, cognitive, and psychological domains in former ICU patients.
• The long-term effects extend to primary caregivers, highlighting a dual burden on patients and their support systems.
• This underscores the need for comprehensive, long-term follow-up care for severe COVID-19 survivors.