Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)
What is Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)?
PICS is a collection of health problems which remain after a critical illness. It can include new or worsening impairments in physical, cognitive or mental health issues arising after a stay in critical care.
Why does PICS happen?
PICS happens because of many different things that occur in critical care including, but not limited to:
- 24-hour care that does not promote adequate natural sleep
- Breathing machines
- Medications for sedation and pain
- Immobility
- Noise
- Fear
- Physical restraint to keep a patient safe from removing lifesaving tubes and lines
What does PICS look like?
Physical Symptoms:
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
- Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or a change in sleep patterns
Cognitive Symptoms:
- Memory loss
- Inability to focus
- Trouble organizing and problem solving
Psychological Symptoms:
- Anxiety/Panic disorder
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may include nightmares and flashbacks
When can a patient experience or family member see the symptoms of PICS?
PICS symptoms usually occur after discharge, often weeks to months following a critical care stay, which makes it difficult to diagnose.
What should you do if you have the symptoms of PICS?
- Reach out to your primary care provider and tell him/her about what you are experiencing.
- Keep a diary of what you are feeling.
- Look back at any education that you received while in the ICU or at discharge.
What is St. Cloud Hospital ICU doing to prevent PICS?
- We assess patients daily, making sure to remove tubes and lines as quickly as we safely can.
- Patients and families are given a diary which includes information about PICS and the equipment that is being used in the patient’s room. If you do not have a diary, please ask the ICU staff to get the information for you.
- We educate our staff by sharing new PICS information as it becomes available.
