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Doctors warn of high risk of complications in severe COVID-19 survivors
Experts believe that patients who have suffered severe COVID-19 and were treated in intensive care are at high risk of developing long-term complications, both physical and mental. Understanding what the post-intensive care syndrome is.
Photo: MrArifnajafov /
Experts believe that patients who have suffered severe COVID-19 and were treated in intensive care are at high risk of developing long-term complications, both physical and mental. Understanding what the post-intensive care syndrome is.
Resuscitation and mechanical ventilation are often needed for patients with COVID-19
Most patients with the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 are mildly ill. But some of them require intensive care, including long-term artificial ventilation of the lungs: such patients are from 5% to 10%. Up to 30% of hospitalized patients go to intensive care.
In severe cases of COVID-19, patients with breathing difficulties spend in the intensive care unit for 5 to 8 days. In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the ICU stay is 8 to 12 days. This serious condition, manifested by severe pulmonary edema and respiratory failure, develops in 70-85% of resuscitation patients with COVID-19, according to the CDC.
A stay in intensive care does not always go unnoticed
Long-term studies of the condition of patients who have undergone COVID-19 have not yet been carried out: there was simply not enough time for this. But even without long-term results of observations, scientists have reason to worry about the condition of patients who went through the intensive care unit.
“We understand that people who have had ARDS can face a range of problems - anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even impaired cognitive function - after coming out of a critical condition,” resuscitator Daniela Lamas told The New York Times. Daniela J. Lamas).
In 2017, Torax published a study that showed that patients with ARDS can develop lifelong physical, mental, and cognitive impairments.
Post-intensive care syndrome
The disorders described above, which develop in former patients of intensive care, fit into the picture of the syndrome "after intensive care" or PIT syndrome. This condition is commonly associated with prolonged bed rest and aggressive treatment.
"Severe respiratory failure can cause anxiety and confusion in patients, which can lead to stress in family members," says clinical psychologist Megan Hosey, linking COVID-19 resuscitation to subsequent health problems.
The manifestations of the PIT syndrome can be grouped as follows:
Physical limitations. Sometimes, after intensive care, people are unable to return to work or have difficulty doing routine tasks.
- Cognitive impairment. After resuscitation, people may face memory impairment, difficulty in making decisions.
- Mental problems. These include post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, insomnia, and anxiety.
- Accompanying illnesses. After treatment in intensive care, chronic diseases may worsen or appear.
In the prevention of PIT syndrome, the initiative should belong to the doctor: neither the patient nor his relatives have practically any opportunity to fight it.
Intensive care patients need “the people around them to orientate them, guide them, touch them, look them in the eyes, help them understand what's going on. But that's exactly what COVID patients don't get because they are isolated,”Dr. Wesley Ely, a Vanderbilt University professor and resuscitator, told NBC.
In Russia and the world, the coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed many people. Remember simple safety rules and stay healthy
If you go to a pharmacy and a store, take precautions
Wash your hands correctly and use an antiseptic
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