Delirium Research Paper

Beta-blockers have been used as an adjunct for treatment of AWS due to blocking of autonomic symptoms with success but should never be used as monotherapy since they have no antiepileptic properties and may not prevent delirium. Propranol has been shown to worsen delirium in some

From the very beginning of Edgar Allen Poe’s life, he was a mystery. But the most mysterious thing about his life is his death. The lack of information on how he died leads to several theories, which writers and experts have researched and it's come down to either alcohol or rabies. There is one reasonable explanation of how he dies, alcohol poisoning. There were many signs Poe showed related with alcohol poisoning, he had a past of drinking, and there is little evidence that rabies was the cause.

A patient’s decision-making capacity is variable as their medications or underlying disease processes ebb and flow. You should do what you can to catch a patient in a lucid state - even lightening up on the medications if necessary and safe - in order to include her in the decision making process. Delirious patients have waxing and waning abilities to understand information. However, if a careful assessment is done and documented at each contact, and during lucid periods the patient consistently and persistently makes the same decision over time, this may constitute adequate decisional capacity for the question at

Critically ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are at an increased risk for developing delirium. A prevalence is seen with acute brain dysfunction, such as brain attacks, and increases morbidity and mortality rates. The Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care (CAM-ICU) is an assessment tool utilized by critical care nurses to evaluate and distinguish the development of delirium in ICU patients. Implementing CAM-ICU will provide a consistent assessment tool for the detection of delirium, allowing for early recognition, and decrease adverse effects created by delirium in critically ill patients.

When it comes to effectiveness, ECT works more often, more quickly, and more thoroughly than any other treatment option available to those who suffer many brain illnesses. ECT starts working in one to two weeks, versus medication therapies that can take six to eight weeks. The faster that a treatment works, the sooner patients can start rebuilding their lives. Quick treatment can improve quality of life; halt the damage to diminish financial challenges. Patients experience less dementia, or cognition decline, than individuals with untreated brain illness. Depression, for example, is associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia when untreated. Consider pharmacology augmenting ECT. As we age, medications metabolize differently, interact more, and can cause life threatening side effects. Even medication that a patient has taken safely for years can, one day out of the blue, cause dizziness and falls. It starts by causing

Dementia is one of the most feared diseases and expensive to society currently. It is defined as a clinical syndrome of acquired cognitive impairment that determines decrease of intellectual enough capacity to interfere social and functional performance of the individual and their quality of life. It is a known fact that patients tend to express themselves through their behaviour and expect their carers to understand this notion. The diverse kinds of causes of different behaviours are inability to communicate, difficulty with tasks, unfamiliar surroundings, loud noises, frantic environment, and physical discomfort. Many diseases can cause dementia, some of which may be reversible. The term dementia has not been used uniformly in the historical

Benzodiazepines are not prescribed as widely as they once were, not just because of the addictive nature of this medication class, but because there is new evidence-based research that shows that there is a high risk for developing early-onset dementia with prolonged use. In the past, patients with diagnoses such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Panic Disorder were given this medication in order to reduce anxiety symptoms. My preceptor and I discussed both the dangers of this class of medications as well as their usefulness. We also discussed the fact that there is new research to

The depot preparation could ensure continuous drug delivery with a stable plasma drug concentration over long periods. Taking into account the high propensity of noncompliance to the oral medications, long-acting depot would likely be beneficial to Madam M. Therefore, the doctor initiated intramuscular fluphenazine decanoate 25mg monthly for her. As for oral antipsychotics, the doctor aimed to taper off tablet aripiprazole in the future. This was because a monotherapy (IM depot) was likely sufficient for Madam

The patient is a 53 year old male who presented to the ED via EMS intoxicated and reporting suicidal thoughts. The patient denies homicidal ideations and symptoms of psychosis. The patient endorses depressive symptoms including: tearfulness, isolation, and insomnia.

Anyone who has ever cared for a loved one who struggles with dementia, knows that it’s not an easy task. One of the most frustrating aspects involved in dementia care is dealing with Sundowner’s syndrome, also called nocturnal delirium. This condition can make a dementia patient extremely moody, irritable and anxious, particularly during evening hours.

Some psychological changes are the following: personality changes, inability to reason, inappropriate behavior, paranoia, agitation, and/or hallucinations (McCrory, PP, Ch. 17, Slide 28). Sometimes, these may look like symptoms of schizophrenia, due to the fact that they may hallucinate, have inappropriate behavior that they may know is wrong, be paranoid of everything and everyone, and be constantly agitated and on edge. Nonetheless, just because these symptoms are present doesn’t mean that it’s schizophrenia. Therefore, it’s important when diagnosing someone with dementia that you take a history of psychological conditions (and physical conditions) to rule out everything possible. These psychological changes can take a toll not only on that individual, but also on family members and other individuals close to them. It may be difficult for a loved one to watch another individual go through stages in which they can’t remember anything, or don’t recognize what they did (or know they did what they did). At the same time, cognitive challenges also occur such as: memory loss, difficulty communication/finding words, complex tasks, planning/organizing, coordination/motor functions, and disorientation (McCrory, PP, Ch. 17, Slide 29). Just like the psychological changes, these cognitive changes can be hard on both that individual and the family. It’s extremely frustrating to not be able to find the words you want to

These newer, second-generation medications are generally preferred because they pose a lower risk of serious side effects than do first-generation antipsychotics. Second-generation antipsychotics include:

This semester I cared for resident JT. JT is diagnosed with dementia, which is a form of chronic confusion. Evidence from JT’s physical assessment that supports this diagnosis is her mental status. In her patient chart, it states that JT is alert with confusion. During my physical assessment, JT was alert and oriented times two. JT could identify herself and was aware of her surroundings. However, she was not oriented to time; she believed the year was 1931. Relating to the concept of chronic confusion, assessing arousal, orientation and attention to environment is a way to measure chronic confusion (Wilkerson, 2017 p. 168). Other medical concerns include her vision impairment. JT is blind in her left eye she also has glaucoma

While doing the initial home assessment I started with the living room. In the living room I found prescribed medication containers on the floor and living room table. There was clothing all over the floor and couch. The couch seemed as if someone sleeps there, newspaper ads were just laying around the ground. I came across a rodent behind the shelf. There was an open window cleaner near the electrical port. Then I moved to the kitchen where I found a sink full of dishes with a knife not properly stored. Laundry detergent were just left out and not stored with some bottles being opened on the ground. There was a roach infestation all over the sink and stove. When the refrigerator was inspected there was some basic food like: peanut butter, ham, eggs and milk. It was also filled with

On April 28th-30th, I was in Sartell High School’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone. This show is about a man who is feeling “blue” and decides to play one of his favorite musicals The Drowsy Chaperone. The show starts up with the characters introducing themselves, but trouble arises when a producer is in trouble with two gangsters because his leading lady is leaving the stage for marriage. Although the wedding is called off when the groom kisses “another woman” which was actually his fiancé. Eventually things really work out and there are four weddings in the end, including the original bride and groom.