RT Book, Section
A1 Ropper, Allan H.
A1 Samuels, Martin A.
A1 Klein, Joshua P.
A1 Prasad, Sashank
SR Print(0)
ID 1162592289
T1 Delirium and Other Acute Confusional States
T2 Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, 11e
YR 2019
FD 2019
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071842617
LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1162592289
RD 2024/04/19
AB The  striking  state  in  which  a  patient  with  previously  intact  mentality  becomes  confused  is  observed  daily  on  the  medical,  surgical,  and  emergency  wards  of  a  general  hospital.  Occurring,  as  it  often  does,  during  an  infection  with  fever  or  in  the  course  of  a  toxic  or  metabolic  disorder  (such  as  renal  or  hepatic  failure)  or  as  an  effect  of  medication,  drugs,  or  alcohol,  it  never  fails  to  create  problems  for  the  physician,  nurses,  and  family.  The  physician  has  to  cope  with  the  problem  of  diagnosis,  often  without  the  advantage  of  a  lucid  history,  and  any  program  of  therapy  is  constantly  impeded  by  the  patient’s  inattention,  agitation,  sleeplessness,  and  inability  to  cooperate.  Nurses  are  burdened  with  the  need  to  provide  satisfactory  care  and  a  safe  environment  for  the  patient,  and  at  the  same  time,  maintain  a  tranquil  atmosphere  for  other  patients.  The  family  must  be  supported  as  it  faces  the  frightening  prospect  of  a  deranged  mind  with  peculiar  behaviors  and  all  it  signifies.