Post-traumatic stress disorder after critical illness requiring general intensive care.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence and severity of symptoms related to the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a cohort of general ICU patients.


METHODS
A prospective cohort study 3 months after general ICU discharge.


METHODS
A general ICU in a teaching hospital in northern Scotland.


METHODS
Seventy-eight ICU survivors of general ICU.


METHODS
Patients were contacted 3 months after ICU discharge and asked to complete a telephone assessment of the Davidson Trauma Scale.


RESULTS
The median score was 8, with 22% recording a score of at least 27 and 14% meeting the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The overall score was not correlated with sex, ICU length of stay, or APACHE II score but was inversely correlated with age and directly correlated with length of mechanical ventilation. The overall score was also related to the patient reporting having visited a GP or a mental health professional for psychological distress previous to ICU.


CONCLUSIONS
We found a high incidence of symptoms consistent with PTSD 3 months after ICU discharge in this general ICU cohort. This was associated with younger patients and those who visited their GP or a mental health professional complaining of psychological symptoms. Further research and a greater liaison between ICU staff and family practitioners and mental health practitioners is required to better identify individuals at risk and reduce psychological morbidity in this group.
Cuthbertson
Brian H
BH
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Medicine and Therapeutics, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. b.h.cuthbertson@abdn.ac.uk
Hull
Alastair
A
Strachan
Mary
M
Scott
Judith
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*