Since intensive care units (ICU) were created in hospitals more than a half a century ago, there has been a steady decline in death rates for individuals who are critically ill and require life support. That’s significant and meaningful progress, and it’s thanks to the pioneering work of many doctors, nurses and researchers who have discovered better ways to liberate patients from life support so that they can leave the hospital breathing and functioning on their own.
But as a neurologist who practices medicine in the intensive care unit, I’ve come to recognize that we now need to focus the same attention on the neurological health of patients leaving the ICU. New studies are shedding light on the high rates of acute brain dysfunction – or delirium — for patients who have undergone treatment in hospital intensive care units.
Depending on the study, the rate of acquiring delirium as a result of treatment in ICU ranges from 30 to 80 percent – staggering numbers by any measure. What does delirium look like? Delirium is characterized by a fluctuating level of consciousness – when someone drifts in and out of awareness — poor attention and disorganized thinking.
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
