{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]],"date-time":"2026-01-23T23:47:41Z","timestamp":1769212061688,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,29]],"date-time":"2021-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1622246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Although patients who recovered from acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may have prolonged disabilities, follow-up data of those who have survived COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is still very scarce. Therefore, COVID-19-ARDS survivors requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) were followed six months after discharge. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs), 6-min walk test (6MWT) and echocardiography were performed. Quality of life (QoL), depression and anxiety were assessed using validated questionnaires. Patients were compared based on respiratory mechanics and CT-phenotype during intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Eighteen patients were included (61 \u00b1 7 years; ICU-stay: 34 \u00b1 16 days; IMV: 30 \u00b1 15 days). At follow-up (197 \u00b1 15 days after discharge), PFTs did not reveal significant limitations (VC: 92 \u00b1 16%; FEV1: 92 \u00b1 20%; DLco\/VA: 81 \u00b1 16%). Cardiac systolic function was normal in all patients, but 50% of them had diastolic dysfunction. 6MWT was under the lower limit of normal in only two patients. Eight patients (44%) reported tiredness, six (33%) suffered from fatigue and one patient (6%) had depression and anxiety. Surprisingly, patients with worse respiratory mechanics during IMV reported fewer symptoms and less exertional dyspnea at follow-up. In conclusion, patients with COVID-19-ARDS have the possibility to fully recover regarding pulmonary function and exercise capacity, which seems to be independent of disease severity during ICU stay.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18115861","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,31]],"date-time":"2021-05-31T00:22:15Z","timestamp":1622420535000},"page":"5861","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":29,"title":["Six Months Follow-Up of Patients with Invasive Mechanical Ventilation Due to COVID-19 Related ARDS"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2088-8129","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ayham","family":"Daher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Cornelissen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Niels-Ulrik","family":"Hartmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Balfanz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Annegret","family":"M\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ingmar","family":"Bergs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Aetou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nikolaus","family":"Marx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gernot","family":"Marx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tim-Philipp","family":"Simon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dirk","family":"M\u00fcller-Wieland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4802-3458","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bojan","family":"Hartmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Kersten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9801-3496","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tobias","family":"M\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Dreher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH, 52074 Aachen, 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