Abstract

Introduction. In recent years, attention is drawn to the possibility of PTSD (PTSD) in patients hospitalized in intensive care units, pointing to the prevalence of this phenomenon in the range of 8% to 51%, especially if the patient during the stay was subjected to mechanical ventilation. Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of exposure to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients hospitalized in the past in intensive care units. Material and method. The study group comprised 24 people (M = 11, F = 13) which in the past ICU patients. The average age was 63.6 years (SD = 9.06), the average length of stay in the ICU was 15.4 days (SD = 14.22), the average length of mechanical ventilation was 14.5 days (SD = 14.16). In order to collect socio-demographic data, related with the disease and to identify risk factors for PTSD there was used a questionnaire of our own design. To assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms there was used Impact Event Scale Revised (IES-R) by Weiss and Marmar (1997) and PTSD Symptoms Scale (PTSS-10) by Weisaeth (1989). Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) by Folstein et al.(1975) was used to screen for cognitive impairment. Conclusions: 1. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms in the study group was 58% according to the scale of PTSS-10, 50% by the IESR. 2. There was no significant correlation between the severity of PTSD symptoms, and the age and sex of subjects and length of stay inthe ICU and length of mechanical ventilation. 3. The most traumatic situations for women during their stay in the ICU, was dependence on others for personal care and nutrition, and stand-offish attitude of medical staff; the men pointed to uncertainty about the future and dependence on others for personal care. 4. Results of this pilot study justify the need for the continuation and extension of research related to the occurrence of PTSD in ICU patients.

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