Patient experiences during respirator treatment–Reason for intermittent positive-pressure ventilation treatment and patient awareness in the intensive care unit

Patient awareness of intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV) treatment in the ICU was studied in 304 patients. These ICU patients were divided into three groupsthose treated for internal medical diseases (IMD; n = 129), patients admitted after major surgical procedures (MSP; n = 126), and patients treated for trauma (T; n = 49). All patients were interviewed 2 months to 4 yr after IPPV treatment. The IPPV period was recalled by 52% of all patients. The awareness of the treatment was similar in the IMD (51%) and MSP (59%) groups, but was significantly lower in the T group (37%; p < .01). The ability to recall the IPPV treatment was reduced in patients with head injuries, those unconscious on admittance, and in elderly individuals. Treatment awareness was found to increase with the duration of the IPPV period in the IMD and T groups. Preoperative information of the treatment, given to elective surgical patients in the MSP group, did not increase treatment awareness.