Dyspnea is frequently associated with anxiety, prolonged days on mechanical ventilation, and worse quality of life after discharge. It can also increase the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder post ICU discharge. However, it is not routinely screened for, identified, or addressed in the ICU.

This manuscript provides an updated review on dyspnea and DAA in the ICU population, including its pathophysiology and management, and offers a useful reference for CL psychiatrists to provide treatment recommendations.

A literature review was conducted using PubMed, querying published articles for topics associated with dyspnea and DAA in ICU patients.

We searched for articles published in English from July 1st 1990 to July 1st, 2023 using a combination of MeSH or keyword search terms in combinations of “dyspnea” AND ” “intensive care unit” OR “ICU” OR “intubated.”

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