José G.M. Hofhuis

The Impact of Severe Sepsis on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study

BACKGROUND:Severe sepsis is frequently complicated by organ failure and accompanied by high mortality. Patients surviving severe sepsis can have impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The time course of changes in HRQOL in severe sepsis survivors after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) and during a general ward stay have not been studied. METHODS:We performed a long-term prospective study in a medical-surgical ICU. Patients with severe sepsis (n = 170) admitted for >48 h were included in the study. We used the Short-form 36 to evaluate the HRQOL of severe sepsis patients before ICU and hospital stay and at 3 and 6 mo after ICU discharge. Furthermore, we compared the results for ICU admission and 6 mo after ICU discharge with those of an age-matched general Dutch population. RESULTS:At 6 mo after ICU discharge, 95 patients could be evaluated (eight patients were lost to follow-up, 67 died). HRQOL showed a multidimensional decline during the ICU stay and gradual improvement over the 6 mo after ICU discharge for the social functioning, vitality, role-emotional, and mental health dimensions. However, 6 mo after ICU discharge, scores for the physical functioning, role-physical, and general health dimensions were still significantly lower than preadmission values. Physical and Mental Component Scores changed significantly over time. In particular, the Mental Component Score showed a small decline at ICU discharge but recovered rapidly, and at 6 mo after ICU discharge had improved to near normal values. In addition, Short-form 36 scores were lower than those in a matched general population in six of the eight dimensions, with the exception of social functioning and bodily pain. Interestingly, the preadmission HRQOL in surviving patients was already lower in three of the eight dimensions (role-physical, mental health, and vitality) when compared with the general population. CONCLUSIONS:Severe sepsis patients demonstrate a sharp decline of HRQOL during ICU stay and a gradual improvement during the 6 mo after ICU discharge. Recovery begins after ICU discharge to the general ward. Nevertheless, recovery is incomplete in the physical functioning, role-physical, and general health dimensions at 6 mo after ICU discharge compared with preadmission status.

Decisional responsibility for mechanical ventilation and weaning: an international survey

IntroductionOptimal management of mechanical ventilation and weaning requires dynamic and collaborative decision making to minimize complications and avoid delays in the transition to extubation. In the absence of collaboration, ventilation decision making may be fragmented, inconsistent, and delayed. Our objective was to describe the professional group with responsibility for key ventilation and weaning decisions and to examine organizational characteristics associated with nurse involvement.MethodsA multi-center, cross-sectional, self-administered survey was sent to nurse managers of adult intensive care units (ICUs) in Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands and United Kingdom (UK). We summarized data as proportions (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) and calculated odds ratios (OR) to examine ICU organizational variables associated with collaborative decision making.ResultsResponse rates ranged from 39% (UK) to 92% (Switzerland), providing surveys from 586 ICUs. Interprofessional collaboration (nurses and physicians) was the most common approach to initial selection of ventilator settings (63% (95% CI 59 to 66)), determination of extubation readiness (71% (67 to 75)), weaning method (73% (69 to 76)), recognition of weaning failure (84% (81 to 87)) and weaning readiness (85% (82 to 87)), and titration of ventilator settings (88% (86 to 91)). A nurse-to-patient ratio other than 1:1 was associated with decreased interprofessional collaboration during titration of ventilator settings (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.6), weaning method (0.4 (0.2 to 0.9)), determination of extubation readiness (0.5 (0.2 to 0.9)) and weaning failure (0.4 (0.1 to 1.0)). Use of a weaning protocol was associated with increased collaborative decision making for determining weaning (1.8 (1.0 to 3.3)) and extubation readiness (1.9 (1.2 to 3.0)), and weaning method (1.8 (1.1 to 3.0). Country of ICU location influenced the profile of responsibility for all decisions. Automated weaning modes were used in 55% of ICUs.ConclusionsCollaborative decision making for ventilation and weaning was employed in most ICUs in all countries although this was influenced by nurse-to-patient ratio, presence of a protocol, and varied across countries. Potential clinical implications of a lack of collaboration include delayed adaptation of ventilation to changing physiological parameters, and delayed recognition of weaning and extubation readiness resulting in unnecessary prolongation of ventilation.

Quality of life before intensive care unit admission is a predictor of survival

IntroductionPredicting whether a critically ill patient will survive intensive care treatment remains difficult. The advantages of a validated strategy to identify those patients who will not benefit from intensive care unit (ICU) treatment are evident. Providing critical care treatment to patients who will ultimately die in the ICU is accompanied by an enormous emotional and physical burden for both patients and their relatives. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) before admission to the ICU can be used as a predictor of mortality.MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study in a university-affiliated teaching hospital. Patients admitted to the ICU for longer than 48 hours were included. Close relatives completed the Short-form 36 (SF-36) within the first 48 hours of admission to assess pre-admission HRQOL of the patient. Mortality was evaluated from ICU admittance until 6 months after ICU discharge. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to assess the predictive value for mortality using five models: the first question of the SF-36 on general health (model A); HRQOL measured using the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of the SF-36 (model B); the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score (an accepted mortality prediction model in ICU patients; model C); general health and APACHE II score (model D); and PCS, MCS and APACHE II score (model E). Classification tables were used to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios.ResultsA total of 451 patients were included within 48 hours of admission to the ICU. At 6 months of follow up, 159 patients had died and 40 patients were lost to follow up. When the general health item was used as an estimate of HRQOL, area under the curve for model A (0.719) was comparable to that of model C (0.721) and slightly better than that of model D (0.760). When PCS and MCS were used, the area under the curve for model B (0.736) was comparable to that of model C (0.721) and slightly better than that of model E (0.768). When using the general health item, the sensitivity and specificity in model D (sensitivity 0.52 and specificity 0.81) were similar to those in model A (0.45 and 0.80). Similar results were found when using the MCS and PCS.ConclusionThis study shows that the pre-admission HRQOL measured with either the one-item general health question or the complete SF-36 is as good at predicting survival/mortality in ICU patients as the APACHE II score. The value of these measures in clinical practice is limited, although it seems sensible to incorporate assessment of HRQOL into the many variables considered when deciding whether a patient should be admitted to the ICU.

Limitations and practicalities of CAM-ICU implementation, a delirium scoring system, in a Dutch intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND Delirium is a frequently missed diagnosis in the intensive care unit (ICU). Implementation of the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) may improve recognition of delirium. However, the ICU team may be reluctant to adopt daily assessment by a screening tool. This report focusses on the obstacles and barriers encountered with respect to organisational context and prevailing opinions and attitudes when implementing the CAM-ICU in daily practice in a Dutch ICU. METHODS A structured implementation process was set up comprising four phases: (1) assessing the current situation to understand behaviour towards delirium; (2) the identification of barriers to the implementation of the CAM-ICU; (3) preparation of the ICU team for a change in attitude; and (4) evaluation of the effects of implementation. RESULTS Phase 1 demonstrated that there was no delirium protocol available; it was left to the attending physicians when and how to diagnose delirium in each individual patient. In addition, nurses acted on delirium in a non-structured way; nurses thought implementation of the CAM-ICU would be very time-consuming and would not add to their ability in recognising delirium. In Phase 2, several barriers to implementation were addressed. Firstly, all nurses had to be convinced that delirium is an important problem and, secondly, logistics had to be put in place, for example, picture cards at every bedside, communication between daily nurses and a delirium working group had to be improved. In Phase 3, 10 nurses were educated to perform the CAM-ICU through several training sessions which included videos to illustrate different delirium states; these trained nurses educated all other nurses. A check box in the daily records was introduced to denote whether the CAM-ICU had been performed. In Phase 4, after a training period and 2 months of actual routine bedside CAM-ICU performance, evaluation demonstrated that frequency of assessments on un-sedated patients had increased from 38% to 95% per nursing shift. A short survey amongst the ICU nurses also showed that awareness of delirium and appreciation of the clinical problem had markedly increased. CONCLUSION Implementation of the CAM-ICU in daily critical care is feasible. A structural training programme is probably helpful for success of implementation.

Perception by Family Members and ICU Staff of the Quality of Dying and Death in the ICU: A Prospective Multicenter Study in The Netherlands

OBJECTIVE Admission to the ICU is a major event in a patient’s life and also for family members. We tried to elucidate how family members and ICU caregivers experience the dying process of their patients. METHODS The prospective study took place in three Dutch ICUs. Patients who had stayed . 48 h and died in the ICU were eligible. The Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) questionnaire was used, with addition of items pertaining to the patient’s autonomy. Values indicate median and interquartile range. RESULTS We included 100 consecutive patients. ICU stay before death was 8 (3-16) days. APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II score at admission was 24 (19-31). Family response rate was 89%. Families were satisfied with overall QODD (score, 8 [7-9]) and felt supported by the ICU caregivers (8 [7-9]). Pain control was scored lower by family members (8 [5.75- 8.25]) than by nurses and physicians (9 [8-10], P 5 .024) Almost always, physicians discussed the patient’s end-of-life wishes with family members, although families rated the quality of the discussion lower (7 [5.5-8.5]) than physicians (9 [6.5-10]) ( P 5 .045). The majority of the families (89%) felt included in the decision-making process. More than one-half of the family members (57%) believed that the physician made the fi nal decision alone after giving information, whereas 36.8% believed they had participated in making the decision. Family members rated the QODD questionnaire as difficult (6 [5-8]), and several items were not answered by a majority of family members. CONCLUSIONS Quality of dying and death is generally perceived to be good by family members and caregivers of patients who die in Dutch ICUs. There is a need for modification of the QODD questionnaire for the European ICU population.

Health-related quality of life in critically ill patients: How to score and what is the clinical impact?

Purpose of reviewTraditionally, the assessment of critical care has focused largely on mortality. However, in the last few years, there is more attention on the quality of survival. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important issue for both patients and family. The purpose of this review is to describe HRQOL scoring in critically ill patients and to discuss the clinical impact on HRQOL. Recent findingsStudies on the effect of critical illness on HRQOL show contradicting results. Several studies found that HRQOL at the time of discharge from hospital was impaired and that a gradual improvement occurred during follow-up, in some cases to preadmission hospital levels. Others show a full recovery to preadmission HRQOL. SummaryIn this article, we reviewed the methods and description of measurement instruments used in critically ill patients. The most recently used instruments to measure HRQOL, how to score HRQOL before ICU admission and the impact of critical illness on HRQOL are discussed. Assessment of HRQOL can improve the answers given by critical care physicians and nurses about the prospects of their patients. To get insights in these issues regarding the impact of ICU treatment, we should incorporate not only short-term outcomes, for example length of stay and mortality, but also HRQOL.

The effect of acute kidney injury on long-term health-related quality of life : a prospective follow-up study

IntroductionAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication in critically ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We hypothesized that ICU survivors with AKI would have a worse health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcome than ICU survivors without AKI.MethodsWe performed a long-term prospective observational study. Patients admitted for > 48 hours in a medical-surgical ICU were included and divided in two groups: patients who fulfilled RIFLE criteria for AKI and patients without AKI. We used the Short-Form 36 to evaluate HRQOL before admission (by proxy within 48 hours after admission of the patient), at ICU discharge, hospital discharge, 3 and 6 months following ICU discharge (all by patients). Recovery in HRQOL from ICU-admission onwards was assessed using linear mixed modelling.ResultsBetween September 2000 and January 2007 all admissions were screened for study participation. We included a total of 749 patients. At six months after ICU discharge 73 patients with AKI and 325 patients without AKI could be evaluated. In survivors with and without AKI, the pre-admission HRQOL (by proxy) and at six months after ICU discharge was significantly lower compared with an age matched general population. Most SF-36 dimensions changed significantly over time from ICU discharge. Change over time of HRQOL between the different AKI Rifle classes (Risk, Injury, Failure) showed no significant differences. At ICU discharge, scores were lowest in the group with AKI compared with the group without AKI for the physical functioning, role-physical and general health dimensions. However, there were almost no differences in HRQOL between both groups at six months.ConclusionsThe pre-admission HRQOL (by proxy) of AKI survivors was significantly lower in two dimensions compared with the age matched general population. Six months after ICU discharge survivors with and without AKI showed an almost similar HRQOL. However, compared with the general population with a similar age, HRQOL was poorer in both groups.

Changes of Health-Related Quality of Life in Critically Ill Octogenarians: A Follow-up Study

BACKGROUND Intensivists frequently are concerned about whether octogenarians actually will benefit from ICU admission. We studied changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) 6 months following ICU discharge in those patients. METHODS We performed a long-term prospective study in a medical-surgical ICU. Patients aged ≥ 80 years (n = 129) and < 80 years (n = 620) admitted for > 48 h were included. We used the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form (SF-36) to evaluate HRQOL before ICU admission (using proxies), at ICU discharge, at hospital discharge, and at 3 and 6 months following ICU discharge, using a linear mixed model. RESULTS At 6 months after ICU discharge, 49 patients aged ≥ 80 years and 352 patients aged < 80 years could be evaluated. At ICU discharge, physical functioning was far lower than mental functioning (physical component score, 24.9; mental component score, 46.1) in the octogenerians. Most SF-36 dimensions showed significant improvement over time (all P < .01, except role-emotional [P = .038] and bodily pain [P = .77]). In the octogenarians, mean SF-36 scores 6 months after ICU discharge were comparable to baseline in all dimensions. Most dimensions of the SF-36 were not significantly lower in surviving octogenarians at 6 months after ICU discharge compared with the normal population. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated a good recovery of HRQOL in octogenarians surviving critical illness. The findings suggest that denying admission to the ICU should not just rely on old age.

Conceptual issues specifically related to health-related quality of life in critically ill patients

During recent years increasing attention has been given to the quality of survival in critical care. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important issue both for patients and their families. Furthermore, admission to the intensive care unit can have adverse psychological effects in critically ill patients. Recent studies conducted in critically ill patients have measured HRQOL. However, usually absent from such reports are evaluations of conceptual issues, addressing factors such as why HRQOL should be measured in critically ill patients, how to define and standardize domains of HRQOL, whether proxies can provide useful information about HRQOL in critically ill patients, whether response shift occurs in critically ill patients, and whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in critically ill patients. Some studies reported moderate agreement between patients and their proxies, although lower levels of agreement may be reported for psychosocial or physical functioning. Response shift (adaptation and change in perception) appears to be an important phenomenon and likely to be present, but it is seldom measured when estimating HRQOL in critically ill patients. Furthermore, vigilance for symptoms of PTSD and early interventions to prevent PTSD are needed.

Original ResearchCritical CareChanges of Health-Related Quality of Life in Critically Ill Octogenarians: A Follow-up Study

BACKGROUND Intensivists frequently are concerned about whether octogenarians actually will benefit from ICU admission. We studied changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) 6 months following ICU discharge in those patients. METHODS We performed a long-term prospective study in a medical-surgical ICU. Patients aged ≥ 80 years (n = 129) and < 80 years (n = 620) admitted for > 48 h were included. We used the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form (SF-36) to evaluate HRQOL before ICU admission (using proxies), at ICU discharge, at hospital discharge, and at 3 and 6 months following ICU discharge, using a linear mixed model. RESULTS At 6 months after ICU discharge, 49 patients aged ≥ 80 years and 352 patients aged < 80 years could be evaluated. At ICU discharge, physical functioning was far lower than mental functioning (physical component score, 24.9; mental component score, 46.1) in the octogenerians. Most SF-36 dimensions showed significant improvement over time (all P < .01, except role-emotional [P = .038] and bodily pain [P = .77]). In the octogenarians, mean SF-36 scores 6 months after ICU discharge were comparable to baseline in all dimensions. Most dimensions of the SF-36 were not significantly lower in surviving octogenarians at 6 months after ICU discharge compared with the normal population. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated a good recovery of HRQOL in octogenarians surviving critical illness. The findings suggest that denying admission to the ICU should not just rely on old age.