ABSTRACT
When long-term ventilation (via either nasal mask or tracheostomy) is needed, even if only overnight, patients usually have problems in performing the basic activities of daily life such as washing, dressing, and cooking. Consequently, they experience an important physical and psychological handicap that contributes to the high social and economic cost of their condition. Therefore, the effect of therapy on patients’ health status and sense of well-being, i.e., their health-related quality of life (HRQL) represents an important outcome of treatment. As the number of patients who survive the intensive care unit (ICU) is increasing, it is becoming more and more evident that their HRQL may be compromised following a critical illness. Almost half of the patients who survive acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) manifest neurocognitive sequelae two years after their illness. Anxiety and depression are commonly noted in this population, whose HRQL is poor (1).
