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Quick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: What is ICU (Intensive Care) Delirium?

If you want to know what ICU delirium is, stay tuned. I’ve got news for you.

My name is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I have another quick tip for families in intensive care.

So, one of the common questions we’re getting from families in intensive care is, “What is ICU delirium?” I know probably some health professionals asked the question as well. So, let’s answer that question today.

ICU delirium also known as intensive care unit delirium is an acute state of confusion and altered mental status that often occurs in patients receiving care in an ICU or intensive care unit. It is characterized by a sudden onset of disturbances in attention, awareness, and cognition.

ICU delirium can manifest in two main forms, hyperactive, restlessness, agitation, aggression, and hyperactive drowsiness, lethargy, or unresponsiveness.

The condition can be caused by a combination of factors commonly found in the ICU such as medications, i.e., sedatives, painkillers, or drugs used for anesthesia, infections like sepsis, lack of sleep, immobility, hypoxia, low oxygen levels, metabolic disturbances, i.e., electrolyte imbalances, underlying medical conditions such as organ failure or neurological disorders.

ICU delirium is a serious concern because it can contribute to longer ICU stays, increased risk of mortality, and long-term cognitive decline.

It is important to recognize and manage ICU delirium early often through a combination of medical interventions, environmental adjustments, and psychological support and also through excellent nursing care because if you give regular washers, turn the patient regularly, if they are immobile, give good mouth care, skin care, but also get a patient in the shower regularly. A good ICU will do that. That will also help and work wonders. Just normalize a patient stay in ICU as much as possible, get them some natural daylight, get them outside if you can, that would all help.

So, I hope that answers your question for today.

I have worked in critical care and nursing for 25 years in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years in intensive care. I’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. I can very confidently say that we have saved many lives with our consulting and advocacy. You can verify that on our testimonial section at intensivecarehotline.com and you can verify it on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast where we have done some client interviews and those in interviews with the clients, they would also verify that we’ve saved their loved one’s life.

We have helped hundreds of members and clients over the years to improve their lives instantly when they have a loved one critically ill in intensive care, and we can help you as well.

I offer and I do one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you simply can’t afford to get wrong. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly with you or on your behalf. I ask them all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one, critically ill in intensive care. I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams.

We also do medical record reviews in real time so that you can get a second opinion in real time. We also do medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are suspecting medical negligence.

We also have a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care. You can become a member if you go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions if you click on the membership link or if you go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership you also have exclusive access to 21 e-books and 21 videos that I’ve personally written and recorded that are only exclusively available for our members. Go and become a member and check it out. All of that will help you to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

If you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell, comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have from this video.

I also do a weekly YouTube live where I answer your questions live on the show. You will get notification for the YouTube live if you are a subscriber to my YouTube channel or if you are a subscriber to my intensivecarehotline.com email newsletter.

Thank you so much for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I will talk to you in a few days.

Take care for now.

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