Critical care clinics
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Critical care clinics · Jul 2017
ReviewAssessment and Management of Toxidromes in the Critical Care Unit.
The most important diagnostic factor in uncovering a toxic etiology for delirium or critical illness is the clinician's openness to the possibility of its existence. Therefore, a consulting psychiatrist, already prepared to perform the detail-oriented work of sorting out behavioral manifestations of disease, can be a vital asset at the bedside if also attuned to the role of purposeful, accidental, and iatrogenic exposures in the intensive care unit. This article summarizes the presentation, evaluation, and treatment of toxidromes relevant to the work of acute psychosomatic medicine.
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Critical care clinics · Jul 2017
ReviewPsychiatric Aspects of Heart Disease (and Cardiac Aspects of Psychiatric Disease) in Critical Care.
Strong emotional reactions are common in patients admitted to cardiac critical care; only some are pathological. Cardiac critical care and associated technologies are associated with predictable psychiatric problems. ⋯ Depression is common in patients with coronary disease and also for patients with heart failure; treatment is helpful, but persistent depression is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Preexisting psychiatric disorders may predispose to heart disease, and they and their treatment may affect critical care management.
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Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on patients with serious illness and their families. In the intensive care unit (ICU), palliative care encompasses core skills to support patients and their families throughout their ICU course and post-ICU stays. Psychiatric symptoms are common among patients approaching the end of life and require particular attention in the setting of sedating medications, typically used when patients require ventilators and other life-sustaining treatments. For patients with preexisting severe mental illness who have a concurrent serious medical illness, a palliative psychiatric approach can address complex symptom management and support ethical and value-based shared decision making.
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Critical care clinics · Jul 2017
ReviewNovel Algorithms for the Prophylaxis and Management of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndromes-Beyond Benzodiazepines.
Benzodiazepine (BZDP) agents are the standard for the prophylaxis and treatment of all phases of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. However, BZDPs have their drawbacks: cognitive impairment, significant neurologic and medical side effects. ⋯ This article examines the available published evidence regarding the use of non-BZDP agents compared with conventional treatment modalities. The author's BZDP-sparing protocol is highlighted.
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Psychiatric medications are used commonly in hospitalized patients and are particularly indicated in patients who are critically ill to manage many conditions. Due to their many indications in the intensive care unit (ICU), psychiatric medications should be closely monitored in these medically compromised patients for adverse reactions and medical complications because they may affect essentially all organ systems. These range from life-threatening reactions to other less significant effects, such as sedation, to other detrimental complications, such as pancreatitis. Knowledge of psychopharmacology as well as the diagnosis and treatment of these complications is imperative in treating patients in the ICU.