Abstract

Modern intensive care has improved survival rates, but emerging evidence suggests a high prevalence of post-intensive care unit (ICU) health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. These symptoms may have a detrimental effect on quality of life and increase mortality. The primary objective of this study is to examine the extent of initiation of antidepressant medication among ICU survivors and identify the factors associated with its usage. The secondary objective is to investigate whether the use of these medications is linked to an increased mortality. The nationwide study cohort included 125,130 ICU survivors admitted between 2010 and 2017. Within the first 3 months after ICU discharge, 7% of patients initiated antidepressant medication, by 1 year 15.5% had started medication. We found no tendency to a decrease during the 2-year follow-up period. Factors associated with antidepressant use included middle age, female sex, psychiatric and somatic comorbid conditions, substance dependence, higher illness severity, and longer ICU stay. Antidepressant users had a higher mortality rate, and deaths due to external causes and suicide were more frequent in this group. This study emphasizes the importance of detecting and addressing depression in ICU survivors to improve their quality of life and reduce mortality rates.

Details

Title
Antidepressant drug use after intensive care: a nationwide cohort study
Author
von Oelreich, Erik 1 ; Eriksson, Jesper 1 ; Eriksson, Mikael 2 ; Larsson, Emma 1 ; Oldner, Anders 1 

 Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.24381.3c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9241 5705); Karolinska Institutet, Section of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
 Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.412354.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2351 3333); Uppsala University, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.8993.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9457) 
Pages
15863
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3077589615
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.