Clinical residual symptomatology and associated factors in multiple organ failure survivors: A long-term mortgage.

PURPOSE: To evaluate which residual clinical symptoms multi-organ failure (MOF) patients may exhibit post discharge from Intensive Care Units (ICU) and to identify the associated factors that cause such symptoms.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 545 adult patients admitted to a medical & surgical ICU in Spain diagnosed with MOF on admission were included in the study. Follow up in the form of a telephone survey regarding the patients clinical symptoms were conducted at 6 and 12 months after discharge from ICU.

RESULTS: A total of 266 patients were followed up at both 6 and 12 months post ICU discharge; 62.2% were male; age 60±18 years; 67.8% medical patients. The most common symptoms to appear following hospital discharge included: asthenia (173; 76%), sleep disturbances (112; 50%) and depression (109; 48%).

CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed frequent residual clinical symptoms persisting for almost a year post ICU discharge, most notably arthromyalgia and asthenia. Depression symptoms during the first 6 months post-hospital discharge were also common among multiple organ failure survivors. The presence of symptomatology over time was found to be related to a poor functional situation at 6 and12 months post ICU discharge, length of hospital stay and severity of illness score on ICU admission.