Determinants of long-term physical and mental health outcomes after intensive care admission for trauma survivors.

INTRODUCTION: Collectively, studies from medical and surgical intensive care units (ICU) suggest that long-term outcomes are poor for patients who have spent significant time in an ICU. We sought to identify determinants of post-intensive care physical and mental health outcomes 6-12 months after injury. METHODS: Adult trauma patients [ISS ≥9] admitted to one of three Level-1 trauma centers were interviewed 6-12 months post-injury to evaluate patient-reported outcomes. Patients requiring ICU admission â€‹≥ â€‹3 days ("ICU patients") were compared with those who did not require ICU admission ("non-ICU patients"). Multivariable regression models were built to identify factors associated with poor outcomes among ICU survivors. RESULTS: 2407 patients were followed [598 (25%) ICU and 1809 (75%) non-ICU patients]. Among ICU patients, 506 (85%) reported physical or mental health symptoms. Of them, 265 (52%) had physical symptoms only, 15 (3%) had mental symptoms only, and 226 (45%) had both physical and mental symptoms. In adjusted analyses, compared to non-ICU patients, ICU patients were more likely to have new limitations for ADLs (OR â€‹= â€‹1.57; 95% CI â€‹= â€‹1.21, 2.03), and worse SF-12 mental (mean Δ â€‹= â€‹-1.43; 95% CI â€‹= â€‹-2.79, -0.09) and physical scores (mean Δ â€‹= â€‹-2.61; 95% CI â€‹= â€‹-3.93, -1.28). Age, female sex, Black race, lower education level, polytrauma, ventilator use, history of psychiatric illness, and delirium during ICU stay were associated with poor outcomes in the ICU-admitted group. CONCLUSIONS: Physical impairment and mental health symptoms following ICU stay are highly prevalent among injury survivors. Modifiable ICU-specific factors such as early liberation from ventilator support and prevention of delirium are potential targets for intervention.

Patient-reported outcomes 6 to 12 months after isolated rib fractures: A nontrivial injury pattern.

BACKGROUND: Despite the ubiquity of rib fractures in patients with blunt chest trauma, long-term outcomes for patients with this injury pattern are not well described. METHODS: The Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies (FORTE) project has established a multicenter prospective registry with 6- to 12-month follow-up for trauma patients treated at participating centers. We combined the FORTE registry with a detailed retrospective chart review investigating admission variables and injury characteristics. All trauma survivors with complete FORTE data and isolated chest trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score of ≤1 in all other regions) with rib fractures were included. Outcomes included chronic pain, limitation in activities of daily living, physical limitations, exercise limitations, return to work, and both inpatient and discharge pain control modalities. Multivariable logistic regression models were built for each outcome using clinically relevant demographic and injury characteristic univariate predictors. RESULTS: We identified 279 patients with isolated rib fractures. The median age of the cohort was 68 years (interquartile range, 56-78 years), 59% were male, and 84% were White. Functional and quality of life limitations were common among survivors of isolated rib fractures even 6 to 12 months after injury. Forty-three percent of patients without a preexisting pain disorder reported new daily pain, and new chronic pain was associated with low resilience. Limitations in physical functioning and exercise capacity were reported in 56% and 51% of patients, respectively. Of those working preinjury, 28% had not returned to work. New limitations in activities of daily living were reported in 29% of patients older than 65 years. Older age, higher number of rib fractures, and intensive care unit admission were independently associated with higher odds of receiving regional anesthesia. Receiving a regional nerve block did not have a statistically significant association with any patient-reported outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Isolated rib fractures are a nontrivial trauma burden associated with functional impairment and chronic pain even 6 to 12 months after injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/epidemiologic, level III.