Search Tag: PTSD
2023 24 Oct
ICU hospitalisation of critically ill patients is exceptionally challenging for their family members, leading to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, acute stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A significant portion of these family members, between 20% and 60%, subsequently experience adverse mental health effects. The presence of...Read more
2021 07 Feb
In a recent review, the authors hypothesise that some patients suffer unnecessary psychological sequelae such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from dyspnoea that persists despite pharmacologic sedation during severe acute respiratory failure. The authors point out that the primary cause of dyspnoea is not the contraction...Read more
2019 08 Aug
Consequences of psychological distress in the ICU needs to be addressed, due to the frequent occurrence of anxiety, delirium, acute PTSD and depression in both patients and family members. By addressing these key issues healthcare costs and usage could be reduced. Previously, it was thought that stress could be reduced through a paternalistic...Read more
2019 23 Jul
Results of a randomised clinical trial in France indicate that the use of ICU diaries was not helpful in preventing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) after ICU hospitalisation. In this multicentre study, investigators compared the use of patients' ICU diaries – filled out by clinicians and family members during the ICU stay – with usual...Read more
2019 30 May
The intensive care unit environment can be extremely stressful, even if they provide some of the best care in the world. It is believed that a patient in the ICU has their sleep interrupted approximately every three minutes either through noise, lights, or medical intervention. Up to 80% of patients in the ICU suffer from some form of delirium, and...Read more
2017 02 May
Experiencing critical illness and intensive care can be extremely stressful. Roughly 1 in 5 critical illness survivors have clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the year after intensive care, according to an article in press in the journal Critical Care Clinics. With advances in critical care medicine, more patients...Read more
2016 25 Oct
A study appearing in the journal Radiology has revealed that children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience disruptions in the structure of the neural networks in their brains. The findings could help in the development of treatments for PTSD in children. PTSD is a serious mental health problem to the effects of which children...Read more
2016 04 Apr
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a type of MRI, may be able to predict functional post-deployment outcomes for veterans who sustained mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), or concussion, during combat, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology . Recently, there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of combat-related...Read more
2016 15 Jan
According to a new, multicentre study, 1 in 10 patients is at risk of having new post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their ICU experience up to a year post-discharge. The research, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, is the first to investigate ICU-related PTSD in a mixed veteran and civilian cohort....Read more
2015 28 May
A brain imaging study has enabled researchers to identify the biological differences between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) that looks directly at cerebral blood flow and indirectly at brain activity, the researchers were able to correctly differentiate...Read more
2015 22 Apr
Post-traumatic stress disorder — often thought of as a symptom of warfare, major catastrophes and assault — can also affect patients who survive a critical illness and stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). A Johns Hopkins study has found that nearly one-quarter of ICU survivors suffer from PTSD. Researchers also identified possible causes of PTSD and...Read more
2013 03 Dec
Concern is growing over the potential of long-term untreated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms increasing the risk for medical problems, in particular compromised cardiovascular health. According to the World Health Organization, heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella...Read more
2013 28 Feb
Condition long linked to war veterans found in one in three ventilated patients One in three people who survived stays in an intensive care unit (ICU) and required use of a mechanical ventilator showed substantial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that lasted for up to two years, according to a new Johns Hopkins study of patients with...Read more