Objectives:  A systematic assessment of the role of benzodiazepine use during ICU stay as a risk factor for neuropsychiatric outcomes during and after ICU admission.
Data Sources: PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsychINFO.

Study Selection:  Databases were searched independently by two reviewers for studies in adult (former) ICU patients, reporting benzodiazepine use, and neuropsychiatric outcomes of delirium, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction.

Data Extraction:  Data were extracted using a piloted extraction form; methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed by applying the Quality Index checklist.

Data Synthesis:  Forty-nine of 3,066 unique studies identified were included. Thirty-five studies reported on neuropsychiatric outcome during hospitalization, 12 after discharge, and two at both time points. Twenty-four studies identified benzodiazepine use as a risk factor for delirium, whereas seven studies on delirium or related outcomes did not; six studies reported mixed findings. Studies with high methodological quality generally found benzodiazepine use to be a risk factor for the development of delirium. Five studies reported an association between benzodiazepine use and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction after ICU admission; five studies reported mixed findings, and in four studies, no association was found. No association was found with methodological quality and sample size for these findings. Meta-analysis was not feasible due to major differences in study methods.

Conclusions: The majority of included studies indicated that benzodiazepine use in the ICU is associated with delirium, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. Future well-designed studies and randomized controlled trials are necessary to rule out confounding by indication.

On PubMed: Crit Care Med 2018; 46(10):1673-1680

Background:  Survivors of intensive care are known to be at increased risk of developing longer-term psychopathology issues. We present a large UK multicentre study assessing the anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caseness in the first year following discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods:  Design: prospective multicentre follow-up study of survivors of ICU in the UK.

Setting:  patients from 26 ICUs in the UK.

Inclusion Criteria:  patients who had received at least 24 h of level 3 ICU care and were 16 years of age or older.

Interventions:  postal follow up: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Check List-Civilian (PCL-C) at 3 and 12 months following discharge from ICU.

Main Outcome Measure:  caseness of anxiety, depression and PTSD, 2-year survival.

Results:  In total, 21,633 patients admitted to ICU were included in the study. Postal questionnaires were sent to 13,155 survivors; of these 38% (4943/13155) responded and 55% (2731/4943) of respondents passed thresholds for one or more condition at 3 or 12 months following discharge. Caseness prevalence was 46%, 40% and 22% for anxiety, depression and PTSD respectively; 18% (870/4943 patients) met the caseness threshold for all three psychological conditions. Patients with symptoms of depression were 47% more likely to die during the first 2 years after discharge from ICU than those without (HR 1.47, CI 1.19-1.80).

Conclusions:  Over half of those who respond to postal questionnaire following treatment on ICU in the UK reported significant symptoms of anxiety, depression or PTSD. When symptoms of one psychological disorder are present, there is a 65% chance they will co-occur with symptoms of one of the other two disorders. Depression following critical illness is associated with an increased mortality risk in the first 2 years following discharge from ICU.

On PubMed: Crit Care 2018; 22(1):310