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Post–intensive care syndrome and insomnia


 

SLEEP MEDICINE NETWORK

Nonrespiratory Sleep Section

There has been a recent interest in post–intensive care syndrome (PICS), as an increasing number of patients are surviving critical illness. PICS is defined as “new onset or worsening of impairments in physical, cognitive, and/or mental health that arises after an ICU stay and persists beyond hospital discharge.1 We know that poor sleep is a common occurrence in the ICU, which can contribute to cognitive impairment and could be due to various risk factors, including age, individual comorbidities, reason for admission, and ICU interventions.2 Sleep impairment after hospital discharge is highly prevalent for up to 1 year after hospitalization.

Dr. Leela Krishna Teja Boppana CHEST

Dr. Leela Krishna Teja Boppana

The most common sleep impairment described after hospital discharge from the ICU is insomnia, which coexists with anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.3 When patients are seen in a post-ICU clinic, a multimodal strategy is needed for the treatment of insomnia, which includes practicing good sleep hygiene, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and pharmacotherapy if indicated.

Mariam Louis, MD, pulmonologist and sleep medicine physician at the University of Florida Health CHEST

Dr. Mariam Louis

Since the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) 2021 clinical practice guideline on behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia, which made a strong recommendation for CBT-I, we continue to face barriers to incorporating CBT-I into our own clinical practice.4 This is due to limited access to CBT-I psychotherapists and patients’ lack of knowledge or treatment beliefs, among other reasons. However, there are numerous digital CBT-I platforms that patients can freely access from their mobile phone and are listed in the AASM article, “Digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: Platforms and characteristics,” which can help with treatment of insomnia.

For patients who are seen in post-ICU clinics, the first step in treating insomnia is discussing good sleep hygiene, providing resources for CBT-I (digital or in person), and treating coexistent psychiatric conditions.

References

1. Rawal G, Yadav S, Kumar R. Post-intensive care syndrome: an overview. J Transl Int Med. 2017;5(2):90-92.

2. Zampieri FG, et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2023;20(11):1558-1560.

3. Altman MT, Knauert MP, Pisani MA. Sleep disturbance after hospitalization and critical illness: a systematic review. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(9):1457-1468.

4. Edinger JD, Arnedt JT, Bertisch SM, et al. Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(2):255-262.

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