Grant: Project Grant

The past few decades have seen a dramatic reduction in mortality for individuals admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). There is therefore an ever-expanding population of ICU survivors that we are learning about. Unfortunately, ICU survivors have many problems, including long-term cognitive impairment. Almost half of ICU survivors have some degree of neurological problem, characterized by difficulties with memory and attention. This likely contributes to their poor quality of life and reduced employability. The cause (s) of these long-term neurological problems is/are unknown, although acute neurological dysfunction while in the ICU is a consistent risk factor. This acute brain dysfunction is called delirium. We have previously demonstrated that poor brain oxygenation, as measured with a non-invasive sensor on the forehead, is an independent risk factor for delirium. Unfortunately, this study was too small to look at long term outcomes, or control for important confounding factors (such as baseline brain dysfunction). The proposed study is a multi-centre study aimed to recruit 500 critically ill participants across Canada. Cerebral oxygenation and vital signs will be captured for the first 72 hours of the ICU stay. The presence of delirium will be assessed every day the patient is in the hospital, and long-term cognitive impairment will be assessed at 3- and 12-months post-discharge. This study will inform us on how to better manage patients when they are at their most sick in the ICU, in order to improve their long-term brain function and quality of life.