The Post-ICU Pain Study

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Post Intensive Care Unit Syndrome, Quality of Life, Pain Disorder

In brief

BACKGROUND: ICU survivors may experience serious psychological, physical and cognitive impairments following ICU admission, collectively termed Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). Persistent pain is an underrecognized component of PICS. Previous research has shown that persistent pain is a profound clinical challenge in ICU survivors, however, research demonstrates conflicting results. Furthermore, no studies have examined the prevalence of persistent pain in ICU survivors in a contemporary Danish ICU setting. OBJECTIVES: We aim to examine the clinical trajectory, risk factors, and pathophysiology of persistent pain in ICU survivors in Denmark. DESIGN AND SAMPLE SIZE: The study is designed as a multicenter, prospective, inception cohort study with clinical follow-up. Based on the pre-study sample size calculation, 800 patients will be included. Patients will be contacted by telephone 90 days and 180 days after ICU discharge, and a series of questionnaires regarding pain, sleep quality, affective state and quality of life will be completed. A subgroup of patients will undergo a detailed clinical examination including quantitative sensory testing between 180-365 days after ICU discharge. POPULATION: Patients will be recruited from 4 Danish ICU departments. Inclusion criteria include adult patients (18 years of age), acute admission to the ICU, and an ICU admission of a minimum of 48 hours. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome is the prevalence of pain assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) at 90 and 180 days after ICU discharge. Secondary outcomes include additional detailed descriptions of pain and daily activity, sleep quality, affective state, quality of life, treatment- and patient-related risk factors, and biomarkers associated with development of persistent pain. Substudies: \- QST substudy: 80 participants (40 with pain and 40 without pain) recruited from the main cohort will undergo Quantative Somatosensory Testing (QST). The objectives are first, to delineate somatosensory profiles of ICU survivors with and without pain, and second, to examine the presence of neuropathic pain in ICU survivors.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT07180407
Run by: Zealand University Hospital
People needed: 800
Starts: 2025-09-23
Expected to finish: 2027-06-01
Last updated by the study team: 2025-12-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Adult ICU patients ≥18 years of age
Acute admission to the ICU
ICU length of stay of at least 48 hours

You may not qualify if…

Patients transferred from a non-participating ICU
Patients with pre-planned admission to the ICU e.g., following elective surgery
Patients unable to complete questionnaires, including those who are unable to understand or speak Danish, or patients with severe cognitive deficits.

Where it is running

Zealand University Hospital — Køge, Denmark (enrolling)
Zealand University Hospital — Nykøbing Falster, Denmark (enrolling)
Zealand University Hospital — Roskilde, Denmark (enrolling)
Aalborg University Hospital — Aalborg, Denmark

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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