Sepsis patients do not differ in health-related quality of life compared with other ICU patients.

Abstract

The aim of the present multicentre study is to assess health-related quality of life in patients with community-acquired sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock (CAS) 6 months after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) and to compare the health-related quality of life of the ICU survivors with CAS with ICU survivors with other ICU diagnoses. Prospective, multicentre study in nine combined medical and surgical ICUs in Portugal. Health-related quality of life was assessed 6 months after ICU stay, using EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) mailed to patients. ICU-related factors were obtained from the local ICU database and the local database for the SACiUCI follow-up study. A total of 313 (52%) surviving patients answered the questionnaire, and of these 91 (29%) were admitted for CAS. There were no significant differences in health-related quality of life between the two study groups. Patients admitted to ICU for CAS did not perceived different health-related quality of life compared with ICU patients admitted for other diagnoses.