Should ICU clinicians follow patients after ICU discharge? No

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ICU Discharge

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) describes new or worsening impairments of physical, cognitive or mental health resulting from an episode of critical illness and its treatment and lasting after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). The incidence of PICS varies based on the domain impacted, ranging from up to 25% for physical and cognitive and up to 60% for psychiatric disturbances. Even as we continue to make significant impact on mortality, short- and long-term consequences of survivorship are emerging as the new frontier. As the definition of PICS suggests, the extent of impairment spans several domains. Although critical illness seems to be the common pathway leading to these disturbances, treatment of ICU survivors with these impairments needs expertise from a wide array of clinical teams.

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