The Prevalence of Chronic Critical Illness in Turkey

The patients who survive an acute critical illness in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) may be delayed in a situation where they are sometimes totally independent before hand due to iatrogenic causes such as infections, dysfunctions, psychological disorders. This can take weeks, sometimes months. This disease is called "Chronic Critical Illness" (CCI).

Most researchers associate CCI with the need for prolonged acute mechanical ventilation or the opening of tracheostomy for prolonged acute mechanical ventilation. There is no single condition that does not require an extended mechanical ventilation from CCI. In conclusion, CCI is characterized by long-term care requiring survival and it is predicted that the cost of these patients will increase with the new patients whose cost will be added in the coming years. In the United States, the number of CCI is around 250,000, and this figure has increased by 50-100% in the last 10 years. At least 50% of these patients die in one year and less than 12% recover and become discharged. The annual cost of these patients' health care system is over $ 20 billion. The prevalence of CCI in Turkey is still unknown. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the prevalence of patients with Chronic Critical Syndrome in intensive care units in Turkey.

Inclusion criteria

The patient who is over 18 years old, taking mechanical ventilation support and staying in the critical care unit at least 8 days. Additional criterias; Clinical diagnosis of following situations:

• Prolonged mechanical ventilation
• Tracheotomia
• Sepsis
• Serious injury (burn)
• Stroke ( hemorhagic or ischemic)
• Traumatic brain injury

Exclusion criteria

• The patients who not having mechanical ventilation support
• The patient staying less than 8 days in the intensive care unit
• The patient younger than 18 years old