Functional status and quality of life after critical illness

Neuromuscular weakness and associated impairment in physical function is a common complication experienced by survivors of critical illness. These abnormalities are generally most severe in the early months during recovery, but may be present even a few years later. Both disease- and treatment-specific risk factors and mechanisms have been implicated in neuromuscular weakness. These complications contribute to impaired quality of life in survivors of critical illness, with deficits in physical domains extending years after critical illness. Several interventions, including early physical rehabilitation programs starting within 1 or 2 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, may help reduce these complications. Demand for intensive care is expected to markedly increase in the next two decades due to the aging baby boomers [1]. When combined with improving ICU mortality, there is a large and growing number of ICU survivors [2]. These epidemiological trends mean that clinicians face an increasingly important challenge of addressing the long-term complications experienced by ICU survivors. Two of the most relevant long-term complications are impairments in physical function and quality of life (QOL), as described in this chapter.