Post-intensive care syndrome in COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19 critical illness survivors: More similar than not?

At the outset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, some observers reported differences between COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and non–COVID-19 ARDS. In COVID-19 ARDS, early impairment in gas exchange may be disproportionately worse than impairment in lung compliance (1), and acute inflammation in COVID-19 acute lung injury was labeled a “cytokine storm” (2). Subsequent studies, however, have revealed considerable overlap in the respiratory mechanics, inflammatory response, subphenotypes, and short-term mortality of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 and non–COVID-19 ARDS (3–7). Accordingly, long-term outcomes after COVID-19 and non–COVID-19 ARDS might also be similar.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS)