ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
Incidence and predictors of new persistent benzodiazepine and Z-drug use after critical illness: a nationwide cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Nearly one in six ICU survivors developed new persistent BZRA use. Along with psychiatric comorbidities and female sex, pre-ICU exposure to SSRIs and opioids identified patients at particularly high risk.
Study context
- Population
- BZRA-naive adults (≥ 18 years) admitted to any ICU in the Republic of Korea, 2020–2022, surviving at least 180 days
- Participants
- 620,810 adults
- Outcome
- New persistent BZRA use (≥ 4 consecutive weeks of BZRA prescriptions, refill gaps ≤ 7 days)
- Follow-up
- 6 months after index ICU admission
Methodological detailspopulation-based, nationwide claims data
- Population-based
- Nationwide claims data
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
New persistent BZRA use · 6 months
Patients meeting criteria for new persistent BZRA use
94 293
15.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Predictors of new persistent BZRA use (multivariable logistic regression)
| OR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-ICU SSRI use | 1.78 (1.74–1.82) | P < 0.001 | |
| Pre-ICU opioid use | 1.41 (1.38–1.43) | P < 0.001 | |
| Insomnia | 2.06 (2.00–2.11) | P < 0.001 | |
| Anxiety | 1.55 (1.51–1.59) | P < 0.001 | |
| Depression | 1.32 (1.28–1.36) | P < 0.001 | |
| Bipolar disorder | 1.27 (1.23–1.30) | P < 0.001 | |
| Female sex | 1.23 (1.21–1.24) | ||
| Medical Aid status (socioeconomic disadvantage) | 1.06 (1.03–1.10) | ||
| ECMO support | 1.07 (1.03–1.12) | ||
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
- Predictors of new persistent BZRA use (multivariable logistic regression): psychiatric disorders adjusted for pre-ICU selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and opioid use
Original publication
Incidence and predictors of new persistent benzodiazepine and Z-drug use after critical illness: a nationwide cohort study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. Published 24 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →