COPPICUS study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Causes Of Persistent Problems in Intensive Care Unit Survivors (COPPICUS) study
IRAS ID
350441
Contact name
James Sheehan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Surrey Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Background: The most seriously ill patients are treated in intensive care units (ICUs), where they receive life-saving treatments that can be uncomfortable, and many feel pain even when resting. After leaving ICU, a lot of these patients continue to have long-lasting pain in their bodies, known as Chronic ICU Related Pain (CIRP). This affects up to 70% of people who survive an ICU stay. We don’t yet know what causes CIRP, what kind of pain patients feel, which parts of the body are most affected nor how it is being treated. It's also unclear whether CIRP makes post-ICU syndrome worse, which includes symptoms like tiredness and low mood.
Aims:
Study 1: Discover if quality of life is different between ICU survivors who experience pain from those who don’t, 6 months after leaving ICU.
Study 2: Explore what causes the pain, what kind of pain it is, how it affects people, and whether it’s related to other problems like tiredness, low mood, and memory issues that can happen after an ICU stay.
Methods:
Study 1: Patients will be asked about any pain they’re experiencing 6 months after leaving the ICU.
Study 2: Patients pain in Study 1 will be checked to find out what’s causing it. If no cause is found, they will have a detailed research assessment to determine what type of pain they’re experiencing. The impact of the pain will be looked at by comparing physical and mental tests between ICU survivors with and without pain.
Impact: Study 1 will help make people more aware of Chronic ICU Related Pain (CIRP) as something that should be addressed after leaving the ICU. Study 2 will help improve pain management, how healthcare is used, and overall outcomes for patients. The findings will be shared with patients, caregivers, the general public, healthcare workers, researchers, and policymakers.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EM/0204
Date of REC Opinion
10 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion