Is there a relationship between the intensive care scores of patients and depression and anxiety?

OBJECTIVE: Coronaviruses that cause respiratory infections in people are known to be neuropathogenic. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is an association between the severity of viral pneumonia and the anxiety and depression levels of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). MATERIAL AND METHODS: 165 patients were included in the study prospectively, and 70 patients were intubated at follow-up. According to the intubation status, the patients were divided into two groups: intubated and non-intubated. RESULTS: The GAD-7 score was 10.37±3.75 (p<0.001) in patients who were intubated after the first 7 days. The length of stay in the ICU was 25±22.3/day (p<0.001), and the length of stay in the hospital was 28.28±23.37/day, which was longer than those who were not intubated (p<0.001). APACHE and SOFA scores, as well as GAD-7 and PHQ-9, were found to be positively related to ICU and hospital length of stay (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The presence and exacerbation of anxiety and depression symptoms can provide information about the aggravation and progression of the underlying disease.

Comparison of the healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units in Turkey before and during COVID-19.

Background: Secondary bacterial infections are an important cause of mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All healthcare providers acted with utmost care with the reflex of protecting themselves during the COVID-19 period. We aimed to compare the rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and bloodstream infections (BSIs) in our intensive care units (ICUs) before and during the COVID-19 outbreak surges. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed in six centers in Turkey. We collected the patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, reasons for ICU admission, mortality and morbidity scores at ICU admission, and laboratory test data. Results: A total of 558 patients who required intensive care from six centers were included in the study. Four hundred twenty-two of these patients (males (62%), whose mean age was 70 [IQR, 58-79] years) were followed up in the COVID period, and 136 (males (57%), whose mean age was 73 [IQR, 61-82] years) were followed up in the pre-COVID period. BSI and VAP rates were 20.7 (19 events in 916 patient days) and 17 (74 events in 4361 patient days) with a -3.8 difference (P = 0.463), and 33.7 (31 events in 919 patient days) and 34.6 (93 events in 2685 patient days) with a 0.9 difference (P = 0.897), respectively. The mortality rates were 71 (52%) in pre-COVID and 291 (69%) in COVID periods. Conclusion: Protective measures that prioritize healthcare workers rather than patients and exceed standard measures made no difference in terms of reducing mortality.