Risk factors for the occurrence of PTSD symptoms included younger age, use of benzodiazepines and/or mechanical ventilation during the ICU stay, and post-ICU memories of frightening ICU experiences. In some studies of European ICU patients, keeping an ICU diary significantly reduced the occurrence of PTSD symptoms.
Importantly, 3 of 3 studies demonstrated that more PTSD symptoms were associated with worse health-related quality of life.
Yes, well people in ICU are pretty sick or broken.
Mechanical ventilation often leaves residual pneumonia, which is known to cause lasting health effects.
Most of those people already have bacteremia and sepsis when thy came in, if they didn't get it from all the surgeries and catheters whle they were there.
And vivid memories are an indication of increased stress hormones due to systemic immune response.
It has nothing to do with the frightening emotional experience of the hospital stay.
It's because those people are still sick afterwards...
Next?
