 Patients who have survived critical illness are at increased risk for long term morbidity and mortality. Maybe we tend to forget this fact, as we lose sight of these patients when they leave our unit. But this is especially true for ICU patients aged 65 and older! There have been clues that influenza vaccination might reduce morbidity after surviving critical illness and Christiansen et al. have looked exactly into this topic. The investigators examined whether an influenza vaccination (flu shot) affects the 1-year risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, pneumonia, and death among ICU survivors aged 65 and older. The investigators Performed a nationwide population-based cohort study They used the Danish Intensive Care Database To evaluate a total 89'818 ICU survivors from 2005 until 2015 It is noteworthy that Influenza vaccinated patients (these were 39% of all) were older, had more chronic diseases and used more prescription medications! Their findings show that 1. Influenza vaccinated patients showed an 8% decreased risk of death and a 16% reduced risk of hospitalisation for stroke within one year 2. Cardiac surgery patients were the subgroup that profited most 3. Unfortunately, no significant association was found for the risk of hospitalisation for myocardial infarction, heart failure or pneumonia.  The flu shot saves lives! This is another strong hint, that the influenza vaccination is clearly of benefit to all adults aged 65 and older. This is especially true for ICU survivors! Christiansen at al. Intensive Care Med 2019 Jul;45(7):957-967. Also worth mentioning: Not only influenza A but also Influenza B infection can pose a risk for severe secondary infection in previously healthy and younger persons. Aebi et al. BMC Infect Dis 2010 Oct 27;10:308.
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