One-year outcome and quality of life of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage admitted to intensive care unit: a single-center retrospective pilot study

Abstract

Abstract Patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) represent a group with distinctive characteristics and few data are available on long-term outcome in this population. We conducted a single-center retrospective study in an Italian intensive care unit. All patients with non-traumatic SAH (ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Code 430) admitted to ICU were included. Disability and quality of life were evaluated via telephone interview after 12–15 months after initial bleeding using GOSE and EuroQoL, respectively. Baseline and clinical course characteristics were analyzed to evaluate relation with poor outcome defined as GOSE ≤ 3. Final population consisted of 38 patients. Twenty-four patients (63.2%) had favorable outcome (GOSE ≥ 4). Among 29 patients (76.3%) who survived at 1 year, median EQ-5D Index was 0.743 (IQR 0.287), while median EQ-VAS was 74.79 (IQR 18.5). Median EQ-5D Index and median EQ-VAS were higher among patients with favorable outcome (EQ-5D Index p = 0.037, EQ-VAS p = 0.003). Among baseline characteristics, only HH scale showed a significant relation with disability at one year (p = 0.033). Between complications occurred during ICU-stay only early HICP was related with unfavorable outcome (p = 0.028). Higher HH scale and early HICP were related with unfavorable outcome. Among patients with unfavorable outcome, quality of life has a broad range of variability, and this result should be taken into account when reporting patient-centered outcomes.

Keywords

• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Intensive care
• Outcome
• Prognosis