Projects

The number of survivors after critical illness is steadily increasing due to advances in technology, a better understanding of the complex physiology of critical illness, and better care. This has led to more chronically ill patients, survivors with more disabilities, and less quality of life (QOL) in survivors. These patients may have physical, psychological, cognitive, and other mental health problems after critical illness, collectively called post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Previous studies had shown that the survivors had severe physical impairment even many years after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and these patients may attain age-specific health status at 5 years.1 Management of these patients is resource intensive, usually, they need hospital care for months post ICU discharge at high dependency and rehabilitation units and they pose enormous stress on the healthcare system. The data available is largely from developed countries and very less from developing nations, so the difficulties and unique barriers for the management of such patients from developing nations are largely unknown.