Hello, my name is Mary Lynn and I'm here to explain delirium as it relates to
patients in the intensive care unit. It is common for patients in the ICU to
suffer from delirium. In fact, experts estimate that two out of three patients
in the ICU will experience some form of delirium. We are here to help you better
understand delirium and to support both you and your loved ones through this
difficult time. Delirium is a sudden dysfunction of the
brain. It is characterized by confusion restlessness delusions and incoherence
of thought and speech. Just like the heart the kidneys or liver, the brain is
an organ in the body that can be affected by illness, lack of oxygen or
medications. Someone who is delirious may not recognize you or their surroundings.
Patients describe not being able to think clearly or being in a mental fog.
They may see or hear things that are not there. Yet those things seem very real to
them. Memory may also be affected. In fact, the thinking problem some patients
experienced after going home from a critical illness are part of a syndrome
called post ICU syndrome or PICS. It is characterized by a wide range of
physical, mental and emotional symptoms. Some patients with PICS improve after
several months, while others may never fully recover. As a family member of a
patient in the ICU I can tell you from experience, caring for a loved one in a
crisis can take its toll on your health as well. In order to have the strength to
be a caregiver and to be able to make clear-headed decisions, it is important
that you get plenty of sleep, eat well and tend to your personal needs.
Your ICU team will be available to answer any further questions you might
have. They are here to support you. Hi, I'm Dolores and I'm a nurse in the
ICU. While there's no specific medication to treat delirium, our medical team in
the ICU is dedicated to preventing and lessening the long-term effects of
delirium. We will be monitoring your loved one for signs of delirium.
Throughout the day we will reduce the medications that are high risk for
delirium. When medically possible, exercise and involvement in their care
will be encouraged. Any vision and/or hearing problems will be addressed
immediately so they don't cause more confusion, and their activities,
sleep and rest cycles will be kept as normal as possible. You are an important
part of your loved ones team. You know them best. We will encourage you to alert
us if something seems different. Other things you can do to help include: talk
about your friends, family members and pets, bring in photos or small items from
your home to help stir their memory, remind your loved one of the day date
and time, explain to them what is happening and why, read allowed to the
patient, support music therapy, this may be used to calm or energize as needed,
bring in their glasses and hearing aids, keep a journal of what happened during
their stay, since many patients don't remember this
could help fill memory gaps at a later date.
Exercise is good for the body and brain, if you'd like, you can be taught how to
do easy movements with the patient even if they are on a breathing machine.
If your loved one is restless with delirium you may be asked to sit with
them and help calm them. For more information about delirium or post ICU
syndrome visit the Society for Critical Care Medicine
or Vanderbilt University website at