Hospitals around the world have observed an alarming number of coronavirus patients suffering from symptoms of delirium
We’ve removed our paywall from essential coronavirus news stories. Become a subscriber to support our journalists. Subscribe now.
“Patients in the intensive care setting are among the sickest in the hospital, and thus are inherently at higher risk of delirium due to the sheer quantity and severity of their medical problems,” Dr. Anna Dickerman, a psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medicine, told the Cut. “Ventilation itself can reduce oxygen flow to the brain. Many vented patients are also on sedative regimens of drugs that may increase the risk of delirium, such as benzodiazepines.
Accounts from coronavirus patients who’ve suffered from delirium are agonizing: According to the Times, after a 69-year-old man convinced himself that “there was some sort of conspiracy against me,” he asked his family to kill him over a Zoom call. Per The Atlantic, patients “may believe their organs are being harvested, or that nurses are torturing them. A spike in fever might feel like being set on fire. An MRI exam might feel like being fed into an oven.
These factors are compounded by the external circumstances of the pandemic: To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, many hospitals have adopted policies barring visitors. “Extreme isolation and distancing from human contact whenever possible, including loved ones, plus the inability to freely ambulate” increase one’s likelihood of developing the condition, a recent study reports. In an interview with the Times, Dr.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | Why I’ll Be on Campus This FallFrom WSJopinion: I’m high-risk for Covid-19, but I'm morally obligated to give my students at Georgetown the education they pay for, writes John Hasnas
Read more »
Why P.F. Candle Company Is Expanding Their Brick-And-Mortar Stores During This Unlikely TimePumphrey tries to recreate the feeling of specific places, such as a hike in the Redwood mountains into her products. Since scent is most strongly connected to memories, they become a vessel that sets the tone of a day or evening.
Read more »
Actress Cameron Diaz Explains Why She Got Into The Wine BusinessThe Hollywood star introduces an organic brand of white and rosé called Avaline.
Read more »
Why Do We Think Women Talk Too Much?How damaging stereotypes about gender and respect continue to disempower women today
Read more »