title: Long term health-related quality of life in survivors of sepsis in South West Wales: an epidemiological study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Survivors of sepsis report persistent problems that can last years after hospital discharge. The main aim of this study was to investigate long-term health-related quality of life in survivors of SIRS and sepsis compared with Welsh normative data, controlling for age, length of stay and pre-existing conditions. The second aim was to investigate any differences in long-term health-related quality of life specifically with the patients categorised into three groups; SIRS, uncomplicated sepsis and severe sepsis/septic shock.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study design was used in order to investigate all sepsis patients either presenting to the Emergency Department or admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a regional trauma centre. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics and outcomes were collected and surviving patients were sent a SF-12v2 survey at between six months to two years post-hospital discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Quality of life was significantly reduced in all patients when compared to local normative data (all p<0.0001). Reductions in the physical components of health-related quality of life were more pronounced in severe sepsis/septic shock patients when compared to uncomplicated sepsis and SIRS patients, when controlling for age, pre-existing conditions, hospital and ICU length of stay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first observational study to specifically focus on the different groups of SIRS and sepsis patients to assess long-term quality of life. Local population norms were used for comparison, rather than UK-wide norms that fail to reflect the intricacies of a country's population.
authors.affiliation: NISCHR Haemostasis Biomedical Research Unit, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ceri E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Battle
authors.affiliation: NISCHR Haemostasis Biomedical Research Unit, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: NISCHR Haemostasis Biomedical Research Unit, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Phillip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018805:Sepsis / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D014852:Wales