October 16, 2007
delirium is not a good thing
The Informed Patient - WSJ.comWhile patients on ventilators have traditionally been kept heavily sedated at all times to keep them comfortable, experts say it is now clear that heavy sedation can also trigger or exacerbate delirium, so they must strike a balance between easing the suffering of critically ill patients and preventing further harm. One of the most important prevention strategies is the "wake up and breathe" protocol, which calls for turning off sedation temporarily and allowing patients to wake up so their state of mind and comfort can be determined, and then unhooking them from the ventilator to test their ability to breathe on their own.
Patients and families should be aware of the potential for delirium, and ask hospital staffers what protocols are in place to recognize, prevent and treat it, says Wes Ely, a pulmonary and critical-care specialist and founder of Vanderbilt's ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Study Group. "When someone is in the hospital, it is common to get confused and delirious, but the tradition in medicine has been to say, 'Don't worry if Grandma or Grandpa is confused, it's no big deal,' "Dr. Ely says. "But it is a major public-health problem that has to be addressed."
scary
Posted by TY at October 16, 2007 10:49 PM
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