Chronic Critical State: A Contemporary Look at the Problem

The article examines the pathogenesis and development of chronic critical illness in patients in anesthesiology and intensive care units. It highlights the growing population of patients who survive the initial critical phase but remain dependent on intensive care, necessitating standardized treatment approaches. The study involved 74 patients with an average age of 54, where 67.56% were diagnosed with sepsis, and the average ICU stay was 41 days. The model of chronic critical illness shows that after surviving the acute phase, patients exhibit high levels of inflammatory mediators, leading to early mortality within 15 days. Beyond this period, signs of chronic critical illness emerge, including protein-energy malnutrition, persistent inflammation, tracheostomy presence, lung fibrosis, and neurological deficits.