Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients usually require long periods of mechanical ventilation and sedation, which added to steroid therapy, favours a predisposition to the development of delirium and subsequent mental health disorders, as well as physical and respiratory sequelae.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) at 3 months after hospital discharge, in a cohort of mechanically ventilated patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

An ambispective, observational study was conducted in three hospitals with intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up clinics.

We studied adults who survived a critical illness due to SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. A physical (muscle strength and pulmonary function), functional [12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), and Barthel score], psychological [hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity scales], and cognitive [Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) test] assessment were performed.

A total of 186 patients were evaluated at 88 days (IQR 68–121) after hospital discharge.

Mean age was 59 ± 12 years old, 126 (68%) patients were men, and median length of mechanical ventilation was 14 days (IQR 8–31).

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