Paper reports overview: First do no harm: the aftermath of intensive care

Intensivists may be unaware of the longer term consequences of intensive therapies for their patients, and several paper reports in the present issue focus on the post-intensive care unit (ICU) hospital and community morbidity and mortality. This of course encompasses ethical issues concerning the futility of intensive care in certain circumstances, and the elderly population is highlighted in this context. Avoidance of toxic or invasive therapies may reduce the need for ICU treatment, or at least reduce the time spent in the ICU, and is the subject of several paper reports. Hopefully, this may impact positively on post-ICU morbidity and mortality.