A small German study today in Scientific Reports reveals higher levels of post-COVID-19 symptoms and problems in patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with non-ICU patients.
The single-center study at the University Hospital of Wuerzburg looked at outcomes for 85 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 from March to December 2020, with patients interviewed 3 and 12 months after discharge about quality of life, lingering symptoms, and mental health following their infection.
Of the 85 patients, 45 patients had critical COVID-19 treated in the ICU. The median age was 61 in ICU patients and 63 in non-ICU patients, but patients admitted to the ICU had a higher body mass index. Roughly half of the ICU patients required high-flow oxygen, and 89% of them were mechanically ventilated.
Coinfections were much more common in ICU patients, with pulmonary coinfections seen in 38% of ICU patents and 5% of non-ICU patients.
At 1 year, 20% of ICU patients unable to perform usual tasks
At both 3 and 12 months post-discharge, ICU patients reported more mobility problems, and at 12 months 20% of ICU patients had severe problems or were unable to perform their usual activities, compared with 13% of non-ICU patients. At 12-month follow-up, 63% of ICU patients and half of the non-ICU patients had not returned to work, with 37% of ICU and 11% of non-ICU patients unable to work because of disability.
Low levels of stress were rarely observed in ICU patients.
One fifth of both patients groups reported depression during follow-up.
"Low levels of stress were rarely observed in ICU patients, indicating that nearly all ICU survivors experience moderate to high levels of stress one-year after discharge," the authors wrote. "Our data highlight the complexity of post-COVID-19 symptoms as well as the necessity to educate patients and primary care providers about monitoring mental well-being."