[Regulatory mechanisms and clinical significance of circadian disruption in intensive care unit patients].

ABSTRACT

Organisms adapt to the circadian changes in the external environment by regulating various life activity processes and establishing regular circadian cycles. A growing number of studies indicate that there is an extensive association between circadian disruption and critical illness, and circadian disruption is a pathological syndrome influencing the clinical outcome of critically ill patients. As a result of the disease itself, the ICU environment and medical interventions, critically ill patients often experience severe circadian disruption, which leads to aberrations in a wide range of physiological and behavioral functions of the organism, and finally exacerbates disease progression. In this paper, we reviewed the regulatory mechanisms of biological circadian rhythms, the causes and consequences of circadian disruption in critically ill patients, the assessment of circadian disruption, and strategies to restore circadian homeostasis to assist in the comprehensive treatment of critically ill patients.