ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
High-resolution monitoring reveals fragmented 24-hour light exposure in intensive care units
Authors' conclusion
ICU light exposure is characterized primarily by temporal fragmentation rather than sustained brightness.
Study context
- Population
- Adult ICU patients monitored for up to 7 consecutive days over a one-year period>14 million measurements
- Participants
- 222 patients
- Outcome
- High-resolution 24-hour light exposure patterns and nocturnal fragmentation (median illuminance, frequency of light events, extreme illuminance [99th percentile], duration of uninterrupted nocturnal darkness)
Methodological detailscontinuous high-resolution monitoring (every 5 s), Daytime 07:00-20:59; nighttime 21:00-06:59, Mixed-effects models and negative binomial regression for repeated measurements and room configuration
- Continuous high-resolution monitoring (every 5 s)
- Daytime 07:00-20:59; nighttime 21:00-06:59
- Mixed-effects models and negative binomial regression for repeated measurements and room configuration
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Flattened diurnal pattern of median illuminance: daytime light markedly below typical indoor working environments, limited sustained darkness at night
- Nighttime exposure dominated by frequent short-duration light events, with pronounced fragmentation of nocturnal darkness
- Fragmentation largely independent of room configuration and treatment intensity; illuminance did not differ by organ support modality once time of day was considered
- Extreme illuminance occurred intermittently, mainly during daytime, and varied by room type
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
High-resolution monitoring reveals fragmented 24-hour light exposure in intensive care units. Crit Care. Published 2 July 2026. doi:10.
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