Post-ICU Syndrome: What ICU Survivors Are Never Told | Medical Trauma Support Podcast Ep. 49

Post-ICU Syndrome (PICS) affects millions of ICU survivors and almost no one warns them it's coming. In this episode, nurse practitioner and ICU consultant Kali Dayton explains what PICS is, why ICU delirium causes lasting harm, and what you can do to protect yourself or a loved one. Most people who survive the ICU are told they're lucky to be alive. But for millions of survivors, leaving the hospital is only the beginning of a long, invisible struggle with physical, cognitive, and psychological aftereffects that no one prepared them for. In this conversation, I sit down with Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, nurse practitioner and ICU consultant, and host of the Walking Home from the ICU podcast. Kali has spent her career working inside ICUs, training care teams across the country, and amplifying the voices of survivors who have never had a name for what they've been through. We cover: What Post-ICU Syndrome (PICS) actually is and why so few survivors have ever heard the term How medically induced comas and ICU delirium cause lasting physical, cognitive, and psychological harm Why the current standard of care in most ICUs is causing preventable suffering What the awake and walking ICU model looks like and why it changes everything What you can put in your advanced directive right now to protect yourself The power of naming your experience and knowing you are not alone Whether you are a survivor trying to make sense of what happened to you, a family member supporting someone after a critical illness, or a clinician who wants to do better by your patients, this conversation is for you. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 2:15 What most ICUs are actually doing 9:45 Why medically induced comas became standard practice 13:00 What ICU delirium actually feels like for survivors 18:30 The awake and walking ICU model 23:00 What happens when ICUs make the shift 28:00 Moral injury in healthcare workers 34:00 Why survivor stories change everything 41:30 How to protect yourself before an ICU stay 46:00 Kali's closing message: you are not alone Resources mentioned: Kali Dayton's podcast: Walking Home from the ICU Kali's website: daytonicuconsulting.com Instagram: @daytonicuconsulting Find support and resources at Medical Trauma Support: Website: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org PICS + Medical Trauma resource page: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/... Medical Trauma Support Circle (peer community): https://your-bc-befriend.mn.co/landing/ Befriending Your Body After Medical Trauma course: https://your-bc-befriend.mn.co/plans/... #PostICUSyndrome #PICS #MedicalTrauma #ICUSurvivor #ICUDelirium #CriticalCare #MedicalTraumaSupport #TraumaRecovery #ICURecovery #PostIntensiveCareSyndrome