BACKGROUND: Protracted treatment on intensive care unit (ICU) sets the patients at increased risk for the development of chronic critical illness (CCI). Muscular and cardio-respiratory deconditioning are common long-term sequelae, going along with a state of chronic fatigue. At present, findings regarding the frequency, long-term course, and associated factors of self-reported fatigue following ICU treatment of CCI patients are lacking.

METHODS: CCI patients with the diagnosis of critical illness polyneuropathy/myopathy (CIP/CIM) were assessed at three time points. Four weeks following the discharge from ICU at acute care hospital (t1), eligibility for study participation was asserted. Self-reported fatigue was measured using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) via telephone contact at 3 (t2, n = 113) and 6 months (t3, n = 91) following discharge from ICU at acute care hospital.

RESULTS: At both 3 and 6 months, nearly every second CCI patient showed clinically relevant fatigue symptoms (t2/t3: n = 53/n = 51, point prevalence rates: 46.9%/45.1%). While total fatigue scores remained stable in the whole sample, female patients showed a decrease from 3 to 6 months. The presence of a coronary heart disease, the perceived fear of dying at acute care ICU, a diagnosis of major depression, and the perceived social support were confirmed as significant correlates of fatigue at 3 months. At 6 months, male gender, the number of medical comorbidities, a diagnosis of major depression, and a prior history of anxiety disorder could be identified. A negative impact of fatigue on the perceived health-related quality of life could be ascertained.

CONCLUSIONS: Nearly every second CCI patient showed fatigue symptoms up to 6 months post-ICU. Patients at risk should be informed about fatigue, and appropriate treatment options should be offered to them.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The present study was registered retrospectively at the German Clinical Trials Register (date of registration: 13th of December 2011; registration number: DRKS00003386). Date of enrolment of the first participant to the present trial: 09th of November 2011.