Cognitive Impairment after Critical Illness: Etiologies, Risk Factors, and Future Directions

Mortality rates have declined substantially among critically ill populations in recent years, resulting in increasing numbers of individuals with significant physical, cognitive, and psychiatric morbidities due to the effects of their illness. A consensus has begun to develop regarding the nature of the difficulties experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, including physical, cognitive, and psychiatric decrements. This article focuses primarily on wide-ranging aspects of cognition and discusses potential mechanisms, risk factors, and recovery and rehabilitation of post-ICU cognitive impairment.