A cross-sectional analysis of multidimensional clinical profiles of older adults engaged in structured post-ICU follow-up: age is not the whole story. - 2026
Follow-up; Geriatrics; Older adults; Post-intensive care syndrome; Survivorship
Abstract :
[en] [en] PURPOSES: Older patients are often perceived as being at higher risk of poor post-ICU outcomes, yet data describing their multidimensional clinical profile within structured follow-up programs remain limited.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a single-center, post-ICU follow-up clinic. All ICU survivors attending a standardized 3-month (M3) consultation between 2022 and 2025 were eligible. Patients were divided into geriatric (≥ 65 years) and non-geriatric (< 65 years) groups. Outcomes included cognitive function (MoCA), psychological symptoms (HADS, IES-R), sleep quality (PSQI), functional status (Barthel Index), physical activity (IPAQ-SF), frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale), and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-3L). Multivariate linear regression was used to explore associations between age and post-ICU outcomes.
RESULTS: A total of 257 patients were analyzed, including 107 older and 150 younger survivors. Functional independence, physical activity, frailty, and return to daily activities were comparable between groups. Geriatric survivors reported fewer anxiety, depressive, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, despite slightly lower cognitive performance. Quality of life was preserved and modestly higher in geriatric patients. In multivariate analysis, age was independently associated only with cognitive performance (lower MoCA scores) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (lower IES-R scores), and not with other PICS domains.
CONCLUSION: At M3 after ICU discharge, older and younger survivors engaged in structured follow-up care showed broadly similar clinical and functional profiles although older age was selectively associated with lower cognitive performance and fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms. While these findings do not reflect recovery trajectories, they support comprehensive, individualized assessment beyond chronological age in post-ICU care.
Disciplines :
Anesthesia & intensive care
Author, co-author :
Rousseau, Anne-Françoise ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service des soins intensifs
Guidet, Bertrand; Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie Et de Santé Publique, Equipe PEPITES, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
COLSON, Camille ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Soins intensifs chirurgie (+1D)
Minguet, Pauline ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service des soins intensifs
NEIS GILSON, Sarah ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service des soins intensifs
Wagener, Aurélie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Research Unit for a life-Course perspective on Health and Education (RUCHE)
Lambermont, Bernard; Université de Liège - ULiège
Language :
English
Title :
A cross-sectional analysis of multidimensional clinical profiles of older adults engaged in structured post-ICU follow-up: age is not the whole story.
Publication date :
02 June 2026
Journal title :
European Geriatric Medicine
ISSN :
1878-7649
eISSN :
1878-7657
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Switzerland
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