Better but not well: Disability, frailty, and cognitive impairment one year after COVID-19 critical illness

The first wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, from December 2019 to August 2020, was responsible for over 24 million confirmed cases worldwide, with approximately 5% of infected adults developing rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Mortality rates for critically ill patients varied significantly during 2020 across regions, ranging from 15% to 60%, with a global assessment of the in-hospital mortality rate estimated at 28%. The only figure perhaps more staggering than the death estimates from 2020 may be the unprecedented number of COVID-19 critical illness survivors. Persistent physical, mental, and cognitive impairments after critical illness, termed the post-intensive care unit (ICU) syndrome, are common, but how they might present and evolve in critical COVID-19 is as yet poorly understood.