Ten days after arriving in the emergency department with pneumonia, 58-year-old Connie Bovier woke up in the intensive care unit (ICU). She survived acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis, and a host of other complications thanks to advances in critical care that allow more patients to survive life-threatening illness. Each year more than 5 million patients are admitted to ICUs in the United States and growing numbers survive even grave illnesses like sepsis, but clinicians are only just beginning to understand the long-term consequences for ICU survivors. Like many in this growing cohort, Connie is grappling with a new challenge—post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Muscle weakness, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are among the constellation of symptoms that may make it difficult for patients with PICS to resume their pre-hospitalization lives.

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