Reconceptualizing post‐intensive care syndrome: Do we need to unpick our PICS?

Clinical research and technological innovation have greatly improved survival after admission to intensive care units (ICU), such that around 90% of patients are discharged.1 However, their recovery is often complicated and partial.2 Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that physical, cognitive, and psychiatric morbidity are prevalent post‐discharge, with impairment often persisting for years.3-6 Concerned with promoting quality of survival, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) convened a 2‐day conference in 2012 to develop strategies for improving long‐term outcomes of critical illness for patients and family members.2 The term “post‐intensive care syndrome” (PICS) was coined to represent impairment and disability arising after a critical illness and persisting beyond acute hospitalization.