Approaches For Prevention And Management of Iatrogenic Complications in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Critically ill patients are highly vulnerable to medical errors, because they usually have both underlying co morbidities and acute organ dysfunctions.In addition, the life-sustaining treatments and highly technical routine care used in ICUs provide many opportunities for medical errors. Neurological complications in intensive care occur as the result of critical illness, intensive care therapies and procedures, or medical or surgical conditions or because of underlying primary neurologic disease. Iatrogenic neurological complications include altered mental status, seizures and ICU acquired weakness. Altered mental status and coma are the most common neurologic complications in Intensive Care Units and Coma in the ICU is usually toxic/metabolic in nature and is often multi-factorial. Sepsis, hypotension, hypoxia, acid based disorders, hypothermia, glucose and electrolyte abnormalities, and medications are the most common causes. Uremic failure and hepatic failure often contribute to coma.