Long-term Quality of Life in Adult Patients Surviving Purpura Fulminans: An Exposed-Unexposed Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) of patients surviving the acute phase of purpura fulminans (PF) has not been evaluated. METHODS: This was a French multicenter exposed-unexposed cohort study enrolling patients admitted in 55 intensive care units (ICUs) for PF from 2010 to 2016. Adult patients surviving the acute phase of PF (exposed group) were matched 1:1 for age, sex, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II with septic shock survivors (unexposed group). HR-QOL was assessed during a phone interview using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) scales. The primary outcome measure was the physical component summary (PCS) of the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty-seven survivors of PF and 37 of septic shock were phone-interviewed at 55 (interquartile range [IQR], 35-83) months and 44 (IQR, 35-72) months, respectively, of ICU discharge (P = .23). The PCS of the SF-36 was not significantly different between exposed and unexposed patients (median, 47 [IQR, 36-53] vs 54 [IQR, 36-57]; P = .18). There was also no significant difference between groups regarding the mental component summary of the SF-36, and the HAD, IES-R, ADL and IADL scales. Among the 37 exposed patients, those who required limb amputation (n = 12/37 [32%]) exhibited lower PCS (34 [IQR, 24-38] vs 52 [IQR, 42-56]; P = .001) and IADL scores (7 [IQR, 4-8] vs 8 [IQR, 7-8]; P = .021) compared with nonamputated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term HR-QOL does not differ between patients surviving PF and those surviving septic shock unrelated to PF. Amputated patients have an impaired physical HR-QOL but a preserved mental health. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03216577.

Corporeal rehabilitation to manage acute stress in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients often endure discomfort and distress brought about by their medical environment and the subjective experience of their stay. Distress, pain, and loss of control are important predictors of future neuropsychiatric disorders. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress are common after discharge. We aimed at mitigating acute stress and discomfort via a novel intervention based on body image rehabilitation and rehabilitation of senses performed following a holistic approach guided by positive communication (corporeal rehabilitation care, CRC). RESULTS: We conducted a prospective observational study on 297 consecutively enrolled patients participating in at least one CRC session. Benefits of CRC were assessed on both subjective analogical scales of stress, pain, and well-being criteria, and objective clinical measures of dyspnea, respiratory rate, and systolic arterial pressure, just after CRC and long after (a median of 72 min later) to estimate its remote effect. Results showed that CRC had a positive effect on all overt measures of distress (acute stress, pain, discomfort) just after CRC and remotely. This beneficial effect was also observed on dyspnea and respiratory rate. Results also showed that best CRC responders had higher baseline values of stress and heart rate and lower baseline values of well-being score, indicating that the care targeted the population most at risk of developing psychological sequelae. Interestingly, a positive CRC response was associated with a better survival even after adjustment for physiologic severity, indicating a potential to identify patients prompt to better respond to other therapeutics and/or rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the feasibility of an innovative holistic patient-centered care approach and its short-term positive effects on critical parameters that are considered risk factors for post-intensive care syndrome. Further studies are warranted to study long-term benefits for patients, and overall benefits for relatives as well as ICU staff.

Long-term quality of life in necrotizing soft-tissue infection survivors: a monocentric prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Compared to other life-threatening infection survivors, long-term health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients surviving necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTI) and its determinants are little known. In this monocentric prospective cohort including NSTI survivors admitted between 2014 and 2017, QOL was assessed during a phone interview using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD), the activity of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL) scales and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The primary outcome measure was the SF-36 physical component summary (PCS). NSTI patients were compared according to intensive care unit (ICU) admission status. ICU survivors were matched on SAPS II with non-NSTI related septic shock survivors. RESULTS: Forty-nine NSTI survivors were phone-interviewed and included in the study. Median PCS was decreased compared to the reference population [- 0.97 (- 2.27; - 0.08) SD]. Previous cardiac disease was the only variable associated with PCS alteration [multivariate regression coefficient: - 8.86 (- 17.64; - 0.07), p = 0.048]. Of NSTI survivors, 15.2% had a HAD-D score ≥ 5 and 61.2% an IES-R score ≥ 33. ICU admission was not associated with lower PCS [35.21 (25.49-46.54) versus (vs) 41.82 (24.12-51.01), p = 0.516], but with higher IES-R score [14 (7.5-34) vs 7 (3-18), p = 0.035] and a higher proportion of HAD-D score ≥ 5 (28.6 vs 4.0%, p = 0.036). Compared to non-NSTI septic shock-matched controls, NSTI patients had similar PCS [33.81 (24.58; - 44.39) vs 44.87 (26.71; - 56.01), p = 0.706] but higher HAD-D [3.5 (1-7) vs 3 (1.5-6), p = 0.048] and IES-R scores [18 (8-35) vs 8 (3-19), p = 0.049]. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term QOL in NSTI survivors is severely impaired, similarly to that of non-NSTI septic shock patients for physical compartments, but with more frequent depressive and/or post-traumatic stress disorders. Only ICU admission and previous cardiac disease were predictive of QOL impairment.