Abstract Rationale Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) encompasses new or worsening physical, cognitive, or psychological impairments after critical illness. While 40-70% of ICU survivors globally experience PICS, its incidence and risk factors remain uncharacterized in Colombia. Understanding the local burden is essential to guide early rehabilitation and structured follow-up programs. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of adult ICU survivors from two tertiary hospitals in Colombia in 2025. Participants were evaluated at 4 weeks and 3 months post-discharge. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, and ICU exposures were recorded. PICS was defined as a clinically significant decline in quality of life (EuroQol 5D-5L) or impairment in ≥ 1 domain of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor (HABC-M). Secondary outcomes included domain-specific deficits, return to work, and mortality. Predictors of PICS were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 139 patients analyzed (median age 60 years IQR 45-73; 62% male), 35.7% developed PICS within 3 months of ICU discharge. At 4 weeks, 32% met PICS criteria; 23% recovered thereafter, while 3.5% developed late-onset PICS. PICS was more frequent among patients with lower education, higher comorbidity burden, and longer ICU stays (6.5 vs 5 days; p = 0.007). Systemic corticosteroid use (30% vs 14%), ≥2 days of deep sedation (16% vs 4%), and difficult pain control were also more common. No significant associations were observed with age, sex, illness severity, or mechanical ventilation. In multivariable analysis, higher education showed a protective trend (RR = 0.45; p = 0.06).PICS was associated with delayed return to work and longer hospitalization, though mortality was similar between groups. By 3 months, 10% of PICS survivors had resumed previous occupational capacity compared with 49% of non-PICS survivors. Functional and psychological domains were most affected, while cognitive impairment was minimal. At 4 weeks, PICS patients had worse psychological (4.0 2-7 vs 0 0-2; p = 0.001) and functional (6.0 2-13.5 vs 0 0-2; p 0.001) scores. Quality of life declined from 0.95 to 0.77, improving to 0.95 by 3 months but remaining lower than in non-PICS survivors (1.00 0.95-1.00; p 0.001). Conclusions Approximately one-third of Colombian ICU survivors developed PICS, consistent with international estimates. Risk appeared higher among individuals with lower education, greater comorbidity, and difficult pain control. Early post-ICU screening can identify persistent deficits and inform interventions focused on rehabilitation. This abstract is funded by: None
Alvarado et al. (Fri,) studied this question.