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Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of flexible intensive care unit (ICU) visitation on the 1-year prevalence of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms among family members of critically ill patients., Methods: This is a long-term outcome analysis of a cluster-crossover randomized clinical trial that evaluated a flexible visitation model in the ICU (12 h/day) compared to a restrictive visitation model (median 1.5 h/day) in 36 Brazilian ICUs. In this analysis, family members were assessed 12 months after patient discharge from the ICU for the following outcomes: post-traumatic stress symptoms measured by the Impact Event Scale-6 and anxiety and depression symptoms measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale., Results: A total of 519 family members were analyzed (288 in the flexible visitation group and 231 in the restrictive visitation group). Three-hundred sixty-nine (71.1%) were women, and the mean age was 46.6 years. Compared to family members in the restrictive visitation group, family members in the flexible visitation group had a significantly lower prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (21% vs. 30.5%; adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85-0.98; p = 0.01). The prevalence of anxiety (28.9% vs. 33.2%; aPR 0.93; 95% CI 0.72-1.21; p = 0.59) and depression symptoms (19.2% vs. 25%; aPR, 0.78; 95% CI 0.60-1.02; p = 0.07) did not differ significantly between the groups., Conclusion: Flexible ICU visitation, compared to the restrictive visitation, was associated with a significant reduction in the 1-year prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms in family members., (© 2024. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: We assessed long-term outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors with acute kidney injury (AKI) submitted to intermittent or continuous renal replacement therapy (RRT) for comparisons between groups. Methods: The multicenter prospective cohort study included 195 adult ICU survivors with an ICU stay >72 h in 10 ICUs that had at least one episode of AKI treated with intermittent RRT (IRRT) or continuous RRT (CRRT) during ICU stay. The main outcomes were mortality and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Hospital readmissions and physical dependence were also assessed. Results: Regarding RRT, 83 (42.6%) patients received IRRT and 112 (57.4%) received CRRT. Despite the similarity regarding sociodemographic characteristics, pre-ICU state of health and type of admission between groups, the risk of death (23.5% vs 42.7%; P  < .001), the prevalence of sepsis (60.7%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (17%) were higher at ICU admission among CRRT patients. The severity of critical illness was higher among CRRT patients, regarding the need for mechanical ventilation (75.0% vs 50.6%, P  = .002) and vasopressors (91.1% vs 63.9%, P  < .001). One year after ICU discharge, 67 of 195 ICU survivors died (34.4%) and, after adjustment for confounders, there were no significant differences in mortality when comparing IRRT and CRTT patients (34.9% vs 33.9%; P =  .590), on HRQoL in both physical (41.9% vs 42.2%; P  = .926) and mental dimensions (57.6% vs 56.6%; P  = .340), and on the number of hospital readmissions and physical dependence. Conclusions: Our study suggests that among ICU survivors RRT modality (IRRT vs CRRT) in the ICU does not impact long-term outcomes after ICU discharge., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: To describe the rate and factors related to nonreturn to work in the third month after discharge from the intensive care unit and the impact of unemployment, loss of income and health care expenses for survivors., Methods: This was a prospective multicenter cohort study that included survivors of severe acute illness who were hospitalized between 2015 and 2018, previously employed, and who stayed more than 72 hours in the intensive care unit. Outcomes were assessed by telephone interview in the third month after discharge., Results: Of the 316 patients included in the study who had previously worked, 193 (61.1%) did not return to work within 3 months after discharge from the intensive care unit. The following factors were associated with nonreturn to work: low educational level (prevalence ratio 1.39; 95%CI 1.10 - 1.74; p = 0.006), previous employment relationship (prevalence ratio 1.32; 95%CI 1 10 - 1.58; p = 0.003), need for mechanical ventilation (prevalence ratio 1.20; 95%CI 1.01 - 1.42; p = 0.04) and physical dependence in the third month after discharge (prevalence ratio 1.27; 95%CI 1.08 - 1.48; p = 0.003). Survivors who were unable to return to work more often had reduced family income (49.7% versus 33.3%; p = 0.008) and increased health expenditures (66.9% versus 48.3%; p = 0.002). compared to those who returned to work in the third month after discharge from the intensive care unit., Conclusion: Intensive care unit survivors often do not return to work until the third month after discharge from the intensive care unit. Low educational level, formal job, need for ventilatory support and physical dependence in the third month after discharge were related to nonreturn to work. Failure to return to work was also associated with reduced family income and increased health care costs after discharge.

Objective: To describe the IMPACTO-MR, a Brazilian nationwide intensive care unit platform study focused on the impact of health care-associated infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria., Methods: We described the IMPACTO-MR platform, its development, criteria for intensive care unit selection, characterization of core data collection, objectives, and future research projects to be held within the platform., Results: The core data were collected using the Epimed Monitor System® and consisted of demographic data, comorbidity data, functional status, clinical scores, admission diagnosis and secondary diagnoses, laboratory, clinical, and microbiological data, and organ support during intensive care unit stay, among others. From October 2019 to December 2020, 33,983 patients from 51 intensive care units were included in the core database., Conclusion: The IMPACTO-MR platform is a nationwide Brazilian intensive care unit clinical database focused on researching the impact of health care-associated infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria. This platform provides data for individual intensive care unit development and research and multicenter observational and prospective trials.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of the 6-Minute Walk Test to predict long-term physical functional status improvement among intensive care unit survivors., Methods: Thirty-two intensive care unit survivors were prospectively evaluated from February 2017 to August 2018 in a post-intensive care unit outpatient clinic in Brazil. Individuals with intensive care unit stays > 72 hours (emergency admissions) or > 120 hours (elective admissions) attending the post-intensive care unit clinic four months after intensive care unit discharge were consecutively enrolled. The association between the 6-Minute Walk Test distance at baseline and physical functional status was assessed over 8 months using the Barthel Index., Results: The mean 6-Minute Walk Test distance was significantly lower in intensive care unit survivors than in the general population (405m versus 557m; p < 0.001). Age (β = -4.0; p < 0.001) and muscle weakness (β = -99.7; p = 0.02) were associated with the 6-Minute Walk Test distance. A 6-Minute Walk Test distance was associated with improvement in physical functional status over the 8-month follow-up (odds ratio for each 10m of 1.07; 95%CI 1.01 - 1.16; p = 0.03). The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for the 6-Minute Walk Test prediction of physical functional status improvement was 0.72 (95%CI 0.53 - 0.88)., Conclusion: The 6-Minute Walk Test performed 4 months after intensive care unit discharge predicted long-term physical functional status among intensive care unit survivors with moderate accuracy.

Objectives: To investigate whether the effect of a flexible ICU visiting policy that includes flexible visitation plus visitor education on anxiety symptoms of family members is mediated by satisfaction and involvement in patient care., Design: We embedded a multivariable path mediation analysis within a cluster-randomized crossover trial as a secondary analysis of The ICU Visits Study (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02932358)., Setting: Thirty-six medical-surgical ICUs in Brazil., Patients: Closest relatives of adult ICU patients., Interventions: Flexible visitation (12 hr/d) supported by family education or usual restricted visitation (median, 1.5 hr/d)., Measurements and Main Results: Overall, 863 family members were assessed (mean age, 44.7 yr; women, 70.1%). Compared with the restricted visitation (n = 436), flexible visitation (n = 427) resulted in better mean anxiety scores (6.1 vs 7.8; mean difference, -1.78 [95% CI, -2.31 to -1.22]), as well as higher standardized scores of satisfaction (67% [95% CI, 55-79]) and involvement in patient care (77% [95% CI, 64-89]). The mediated effect of flexible visitation on mean anxiety scores through each incremental sd of satisfaction and involvement in patient care were -0.47 (95% CI, -0.68 to -0.24) and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.04-0.54), respectively. Upon exploratory analyses, emotional support, helping the ICU staff to understand patient needs, helping the patient to interpret ICU staff instructions, and patient reorientation were the domains of involvement in patient care associated with increased anxiety., Conclusions: A flexible ICU visiting policy reduces anxiety symptoms among family members and appears to work by increasing satisfaction. However, increased participation in some activities of patient care as a result of flexible visitation was associated with higher severity of anxiety symptoms., Competing Interests: Drs. Rosa, Sganzerla, Schneider, Robinson, Kochhann, da Silva, Medeiros, and Falavigna report grants from Brazilian Ministry of Health during the conduct of study. Drs. Rosa’s, Sganzerla’s, and Medeiros’s institutions received funding from Brazilian Ministry of Health. Dr. da Silva received funding from Brazilian Ministry of Health. Dr. Amaral’s institution received funding from Hospital Moinhos de Vento. Drs. Amaral, Prestes, and Medeiros disclosed government work. Dr. Prestes’ institution received funding from Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Piauí. Dr. Falavigna received funding from Roche, Novartis, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ultragenix, PTC Therapeutics, and Sanofi Genzime, and he received support for article research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Background: Survivors of critical care may demonstrate mental health disorders in the months after discharge., Research Question: What are risk factors for mental health disorders after ICU discharge and is there an association between the burden of mental illness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL)?, Study Design and Methods: Multicenter prospective cohort study that included 579 adult ICU survivors with an ICU stay of > 72 h in 10 ICUs., Results: The outcomes were anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessed by the Impact Event Scale 6, and HRQoL assessed by the Short Form 12 version 2. The 6-month prevalences of any mental health disorder were 36.2% (the prevalences of anxiety, depression, and PTSD were 24.2%, 20.9%, and 15.4%, respectively). ICU survivors with mental health disorders showed worse HRQoL scores in both physical and mental dimensions than those without. The higher the number of psychiatric syndromes manifested, the worse the mental dimension of HRQoL. Age of < 65 years (P = .009), history of depression (P = .009), anxiety (P = .003) and depression (P = .02) symptoms at ICU discharge, physical dependence (P = .01), and decreased physical functional status (P = .04) at 6 months were associated with anxiety. History of depression (P = .001), depression symptoms at ICU discharge (P < .001), and decreased physical functional status at 6 months (P = .01) were associated with depression. Depression symptoms at ICU discharge (P = .01), physical dependence (P = .01), and decreased physical functional status (P = .02) at 6 months were associated with PTSD., Interpretation: The network of potential risk factors for mental illness among patients discharged from an ICU is complex and involves multiple factors (age, premorbid mental health, acute emotional stress, and physical impairment after ICU stay). The negative impact of the burden of mental illness on HRQoL among critical care survivors is of concern., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To identify the frequency, causes, and risk factors of early and late mortality among general adult patients discharged from ICUs., Design: Multicenter, prospective cohort study., Setting: ICUs of 10 tertiary hospitals in Brazil., Patients: One-thousand five-hundred fifty-four adult ICU survivors with an ICU stay greater than 72 hours for medical and emergency surgical admissions or greater than 120 hours for elective surgical admissions., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: The main outcomes were early (30 d) and late (31 to 365 d) mortality. Causes of death were extracted from death certificates and medical records. Twelve-month cumulative mortality was 28.2% (439 deaths). The frequency of early mortality was 7.9% (123 deaths), and the frequency of late mortality was 22.3% (316 deaths). Infections were the leading cause of death in both early (47.2%) and late (36.4%) periods. Multivariable analysis identified age greater than or equal to 65 years (hazard ratio, 1.65; p = 0.01), pre-ICU high comorbidity (hazard ratio, 1.59; p = 0.02), pre-ICU physical dependence (hazard ratio, 2.29; p < 0.001), risk of death at ICU admission (hazard ratio per 1% increase, 1.008; p = 0.03), ICU-acquired infections (hazard ratio, 2.25; p < 0.001), and ICU readmission (hazard ratio, 3.76; p < 0.001) as risk factors for early mortality. Age greater than or equal to 65 years (hazard ratio, 1.30; p = 0.03), pre-ICU high comorbidity (hazard ratio, 2.28; p < 0.001), pre-ICU physical dependence (hazard ratio, 2.00; p < 0.001), risk of death at ICU admission (hazard ratio per 1% increase, 1.010; p < 0.001), and ICU readmission (hazard ratios, 4.10, 4.17, and 1.82 for death between 31 and 60 days, 61 and 90 days, and greater than 90 days after ICU discharge, respectively; p < 0.001 for all comparisons) were associated with late mortality., Conclusions: Infections are the main cause of death after ICU discharge. Older age, pre-ICU comorbidities, pre-ICU physical dependence, severity of illness at ICU admission, and ICU readmission are associated with increased risk of early and late mortality, while ICU-acquired infections are associated with increased risk of early mortality.

Importance: The effects of intensive care unit (ICU) visiting hours remain uncertain., Objective: To determine whether a flexible family visitation policy in the ICU reduces the incidence of delirium., Design, Setting and Participants: Cluster-crossover randomized clinical trial involving patients, family members, and clinicians from 36 adult ICUs with restricted visiting hours (<4.5 hours per day) in Brazil. Participants were recruited from April 2017 to June 2018, with follow-up until July 2018., Interventions: Flexible visitation (up to 12 hours per day) supported by family education (n = 837 patients, 652 family members, and 435 clinicians) or usual restricted visitation (median, 1.5 hours per day; n = 848 patients, 643 family members, and 391 clinicians). Nineteen ICUs started with flexible visitation, and 17 started with restricted visitation., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was incidence of delirium during ICU stay, assessed using the CAM-ICU. Secondary outcomes included ICU-acquired infections for patients; symptoms of anxiety and depression assessed using the HADS (range, 0 [best] to 21 [worst]) for family members; and burnout for ICU staff (Maslach Burnout Inventory)., Results: Among 1685 patients, 1295 family members, and 826 clinicians enrolled, 1685 patients (100%) (mean age, 58.5 years; 47.2% women), 1060 family members (81.8%) (mean age, 45.2 years; 70.3% women), and 737 clinicians (89.2%) (mean age, 35.5 years; 72.9% women) completed the trial. The mean daily duration of visits was significantly higher with flexible visitation (4.8 vs 1.4 hours; adjusted difference, 3.4 hours [95% CI, 2.8 to 3.9]; P < .001). The incidence of delirium during ICU stay was not significantly different between flexible and restricted visitation (18.9% vs 20.1%; adjusted difference, -1.7% [95% CI, -6.1% to 2.7%]; P = .44). Among 9 prespecified secondary outcomes, 6 did not differ significantly between flexible and restricted visitation, including ICU-acquired infections (3.7% vs 4.5%; adjusted difference, -0.8% [95% CI, -2.1% to 1.0%]; P = .38) and staff burnout (22.0% vs 24.8%; adjusted difference, -3.8% [95% CI, -4.8% to 12.5%]; P = .36). For family members, median anxiety (6.0 vs 7.0; adjusted difference, -1.6 [95% CI, -2.3 to -0.9]; P < .001) and depression scores (4.0 vs 5.0; adjusted difference, -1.2 [95% CI, -2.0 to -0.4]; P = .003) were significantly better with flexible visitation., Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients in the ICU, a flexible family visitation policy, vs standard restricted visiting hours, did not significantly reduce the incidence of delirium., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02932358.

Objective: To establish the prevalence of physical, cognitive and psychiatric disabilities, associated factors and their relationship with the qualities of life of intensive care survivors in Brazil., Methods: A prospective multicenter cohort study is currently being conducted at 10 adult medical-surgical intensive care units representative of the 5 Brazilian geopolitical regions. Patients aged ≥ 18 years who are discharged from the participating intensive care units and stay 72 hours or more in the intensive care unit for medical or emergency surgery admissions or 120 hours or more for elective surgery admissions are consecutively included. Patients are followed up for a period of one year by means of structured telephone interviews conducted at 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge from the intensive care unit. The outcomes are functional dependence, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depression symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, health-related quality of life, rehospitalization and long-term mortality., Discussion: The present study has the potential to contribute to current knowledge of the prevalence and factors associated with postintensive care syndrome among adult intensive care survivors in Brazil. In addition, an association might be established between postintensive care syndrome and health-related quality of life.

Introduction: Flexible intensive care unit (ICU) visiting hours have been proposed as a means to improve patient-centred and family-centred care. However, randomised trials evaluating the effects of flexible family visitation models (FFVMs) are scarce. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of an FFVM versus a restrictive family visitation model (RFVM) on delirium prevention among ICU patients, as well as to analyse its potential effects on family members and ICU professionals., Methods and Analysis: A cluster-randomised crossover trial involving adult ICU patients, family members and ICU professionals will be conducted. Forty medical-surgical Brazilian ICUs with RFVMs (<4.5 hours/day) will be randomly assigned to either an RFVM (visits according to local policies) or an FFVM (visitation during 12 consecutive hours per day) group at a 1:1 ratio. After enrolment and follow-up of 25 patients, each ICU will be switched over to the other visitation model, until 25 more patients per site are enrolled and followed. The primary outcome will be the cumulative incidence of delirium among ICU patients, measured twice a day using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Secondary outcome measures will include daily hazard of delirium, ventilator-free days, any ICU-acquired infections, ICU length of stay and hospital mortality among the patients; symptoms of anxiety and depression and satisfaction among the family members; and prevalence of burnout symptoms among the ICU professionals. Tertiary outcomes will include need for antipsychotic agents and/or mechanical restraints, coma-free days, unplanned loss of invasive devices and ICU-acquired pneumonia, urinary tract infection or bloodstream infection among the patients; self-perception of involvement in patient care among the family members; and satisfaction among the ICU professionals., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol has been approved by the research ethics committee of all participant institutions. We aim to disseminate the findings through conferences and peer-reviewed journals., Trial Registration: NCT02932358., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Objectives: To identify the prevalence and associated factors of cognitive dysfunction, 1 year after ICU discharge, among adult patients, and it´s relation with quality of life. Methods: Multicenter, prospective cohort study including ICUs of 10 tertiary hospitals in Brazil, between May 2014 and December 2018. The patients included were 452 adult ICU survivors (median age 60; 47.6% women) with an ICU stay greater than 72 h. Results: At 12 months after ICU discharge, a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (tMOCA) telephone score of less than 12 was defined as cognitive dysfunction. At 12 months, of the 452 ICU survivors who completed the cognitive evaluation 216 (47.8%) had cognitive dysfunction. In multivariable analyses, the factors associated with long-term (1-year) cognitive dysfunction were older age (Prevalence Ratio–PR = 1.44, P < 0.001), absence of higher education (PR = 2.81, P = 0.005), higher comorbidities on admission (PR = 1.089; P = 0.004) and delirium (PR = 1.13, P < 0.001). Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL), assessed by the mental and physical dimensions of the SF-12v2, was significantly better in patients without cognitive dysfunction (Mental SF-12v2 Mean difference = 2.54; CI 95%, − 4.80/− 0.28; p = 0.028 and Physical SF-12v2 Mean difference = − 2.85; CI 95%, − 5.20/− 0.50; P = 0.018). Conclusions: Delirium was found to be the main modifiable predictor of long-term cognitive dysfunction in ICU survivors. Higher education consistently reduced the probability of having long-term cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction significantly influenced patients' quality of life, leading us to emphasize the importance of cognitive reserve for long-term prognosis after ICU discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional status between obese, underweight, normal-weight, and overweight patients after three months post-intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. Methods: Multicenter cohort study (10 Brazilian ICUs). 1600 ICU survivors (≥ 72 h in the ICU) were included.The main outcomes were HRQoL and functional status assessed three months after the ICU discharge. The secondary outcomes were mortality, hospital readmission, and ICU readmission during the same period. Results: Obese patients (median 50.1; IQR 39.6–59.6) had lower HRQoL in the mental component than normal-weight patients (median 53; IQR 45.6–60.1) (p = 0.033). No differences were found between BMI categories regarding the physical component of HRQoL and the Barthel Index (p = 0.355 and 0.295, respectively). Regarding readmissions, 65.1 and 25.1% of patients were readmitted to the hospital and ICU, but there was no difference between the groups (p = 0.870 and 0.220, respectively). Obese patients died less frequently (11.8%) than underweight (30.9%) and normal-weight (19.3%) patients (p < 0.001). Conclusion: After three months of post-ICU discharge, obese patients had lower HRQoL in the mental component than normal-weight patients. However, obese patients died less than underweight and normal-weight patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of different vertical positions on lung aeration in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. Methods: An open-label randomized crossover clinical trial was conducted between January and July 2020. Adults receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for > 24 hours and < 7 days with hemodynamic, respiratory and neurological stability were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to the sitting position followed by passive orthostasis condition or the passive orthostasis followed by the sitting position condition. The primary outcome was lung aeration assessed using the lung ultrasound score (score ranges from 0 [better] to 36 [worse]). Results: A total of 186 subjects were screened; of these subjects, 19 were enrolled (57.8% male; mean age, 73.2 years). All participants were assigned to receive at least one verticalization protocol. Passive orthostasis resulted in mean lung ultrasound scores that did not differ significantly from the sitting position (11.0 versus 13.7; mean difference, -2.7; [95%CI -6.1 to 0.71; p = 0.11). Adverse events occurred in three subjects in the passive orthostasis group and in one in the sitting position group (p = 0.99). Conclusion: This analysis did not find significant differences in lung aeration between the sitting and passive orthostasis groups. A randomized crossover clinical trial assessing the impact of vertical positioning on lung aeration in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation is feasible. Unfortunately, the study was interrupted due to the need to treat COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Early mobilization is part of the rehabilitation process for critically ill patients and is currently considered a means of preventing ICU-acquired muscle deterioration and worsening of physical function. We sought to determine whether the use of speaking valves in tracheostomized patients would improve their mobility. We evaluated the changes in mobility performance with the use of speaking valves in tracheostomized subjects. METHODS: We performed a cohort study of a series of subjects who were tracheostomized and were being weaned from mechanical ventilation between April 2016 and May 2018. The subjects were those able to tolerate a speaking valve for a minimum of 30 min. Demographic data, comorbidities, cause of ICU admission, days in the ICU, duration of mechanical ventilation before tracheostomy, and days free from mechanical ventilation before tracheostomy were collected. Mobility status was evaluated using daily measurements of the Perme Intensive Care Unit Mobility Score. RESULTS: During the study period, 63 patients were tracheostomized. Patients with deficiencies in language (n = 2) or cognitive deficits (n = 36) and patients in exclusive palliative care (n = 7) were excluded. Eighteen subjects were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 64.6 ± 14.2 y (55.5% were male), and the most common reason for ICU admission was pneumonia (n = 7; 38.8%). Perme scores increased from 11.3 (interquartile range 10.1-12.0) on the day before initiation of the speaking valve to 18.2 (IQR 16.2-20.1) immediately after the initiation of a speaking valve (P < .01). These changes were maintained during all periods of speaking valve use. CONCLUSION: The use of speaking valves in tracheostomized subjects improved mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study aimed at comparing the burden of post-intensive care unit (ICU) disability between general ICU survivors who were able to attend a clinic-based post-ICU appointment and those who were not. Results suggest on the burden of disability after critical illness being associated with the inability to attend a clinic-based follow-up. Alternative models suggested include home care, telemedicine and the use of remote telemonitoring tools to address the health inequalities.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of long-term physical, mental and cognitive disabilities among ICU survivors of sepsis in Brazil. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in 10 Brazilian ICUs. Adult post-ICU survivors with severe sepsis/septic shock, and with an ICU stay >72h were followed for 12 months. The outcomes were physical dependence at 3 months; anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 6 months, and cognitive dysfunction at 12 months. Results: In total, 417 survivors of sepsis were followed. The prevalence of physical dependence, anxiety, depression, PTSD and cognitive dysfunction were 42.2%, 17.6%, 17.6%, 14.8% and 70%, respectively. No higher education (PR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04-2.22) and previous physical dependence (PR, 2.59; 95%CI, 2.05-3.28) were associated with physical dependence. Depression symptoms at ICU discharge (PR, 2.32; 95%CI, 1.27-4.22) was associated with anxiety. Previous diagnosis of depression (PR, 2.22; 95%CI, 1.06-4.65), depression symptoms at ICU discharge (PR, 2.22; 95%CI, 1.06-4.65) and decrease in functional status (PR, 2.34; 95%CI, 1.03-5.30) were associated with depression. Decrease in functional status (PR, 3.86, 95%CI, 1.32-11.30) was associated with PTSD. Age .65 years (PR, 1.35; 95%CI, 1.10-1.66) was associated cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion: The network of potential risk factors for long-term sepsis-related disabilities is complex and involves factors of multiple domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether the effect of a flexible ICU visiting policy that includes flexible visitation plus visitor education on anxiety symptoms of family members is mediated by satisfaction and involvement in patient care.Design: We embedded a multivariable path mediation analysis within a cluster-randomized crossover trial as a secondary analysis of The ICU Visits Study (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02932358).Setting: Thirty-six medical-surgical ICUs in Brazil.Patients: Closest relatives of adult ICU patients.Interventions: Flexible visitation (12 hr/d) supported by family education or usual restricted visitation (median, 1.5 hr/d).Measurements and Main Results: Overall, 863 family members were assessed (mean age, 44.7 yr; women, 70.1%). Compared with the restricted visitation (n = 436), flexible visitation (n = 427) resulted in better mean anxiety scores (6.1 vs 7.8; mean difference, -1.78 [95% CI, -2.31 to -1.22]), as well as higher standardized scores of satisfaction (67% [95% CI, 55-79]) and involvement in patient care (77% [95% CI, 64-89]). The mediated effect of flexible visitation on mean anxiety scores through each incremental sd of satisfaction and involvement in patient care were -0.47 (95% CI, -0.68 to -0.24) and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.04-0.54), respectively. Upon exploratory analyses, emotional support, helping the ICU staff to understand patient needs, helping the patient to interpret ICU staff instructions, and patient reorientation were the domains of involvement in patient care associated with increased anxiety.Conclusions: A flexible ICU visiting policy reduces anxiety symptoms among family members and appears to work by increasing satisfaction. However, increased participation in some activities of patient care as a result of flexible visitation was associated with higher severity of anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]