Mortality assessment and quality of life two years after discharge from the ICU: preliminary data from a prospective cohort.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate mortality and long term quality of life of patients who were discharged from the intensive care unit. METHODS A prospective cohort, in which all the admitted patients in a intensive care unit (ICU) during 6 months were evaluated and interviewed by telephone after two years of discharge, aiming the completion of two quality of live scales: Karnofsky scale and activities of daily living (ADL) scale. RESULTS From a total of 380 patients, 100 (26.5%) individuals were alive at the time of interview, 94% living in their homes and 90% without the need for family or specialized care. There was a significant reduction in quality of life of the survivors (Karnofsky pre-ICU = 90±10 vs. Karnofsky after two years = 79±11; p<0.05), although maintaining their functional capacity (ADL pre-ICU = 28±4 vs. ADL after two years = 25±8; p=0.09). This drop in the quality of life occurred mainly to patients who suffered stroke (Karnofsky pre-ICU = 88±7 vs. Karnofsky after two years = 60±15; p<0. 01). CONCLUSION These preliminary data suggest that the performance of patients after two years of the intensive care discharge is preserved, since they retain the ability to perform self care, except in those with brain damage which shows an inferior quality of life.