The Financial Impact of Post Intensive Care Syndrome

Han Su; Ana Lucia Fuentes; Henry Chen; Atul Malhotra; Linda C Gallo; Yeonsu Song; Raeanne C Moore; Biren B Kamdar

doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2024.08.003

The Financial Impact of Post Intensive Care Syndrome

Crit Care Clin. 2025 Jan;41(1):103-119. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2024.08.003. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

Authors

Han Su¹, Ana Lucia Fuentes², Henry Chen³, Atul Malhotra², Linda C Gallo⁴, Yeonsu Song⁵, Raeanne C Moore⁶, Biren B Kamdar⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
² Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
³ UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁵ School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, North Hills, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁷ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39547719
PMCID: PMC11681988 (available on 2025-07-01)
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccc.2024.08.003

Abstract

This review explores the financial consequences that survivors of critical illness often face following hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU). As part of the "post-intensive care syndrome" (PICS), these survivors often experience, in addition to physical and emotional challenges of PICS, major financial burdens resulting from their prolonged ICU treatments. The escalating costs of ICU care, coupled with the potential long-term effects on survivors' ability to work and maintain financial stability, have brought financial toxicity to the forefront of health care discussions. The current review examines the causes and consequences of financial toxicity.

Keywords: Critical illness; Employment; Financial burden; Intensive care unit.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cost of Illness
Critical Care / economics
Critical Illness* / economics
Critical Illness* / therapy
Humans
Intensive Care Units* / economics
Survivors* / psychology

Supplementary concepts

postintensive care syndrome

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts

Grants and funding