ICU Agitation

ICU Agitation General Information

ICU is an abbreviation of the words: intensive care unit (other popular abbreviations that refer to similar things include CCU for critical care unit, ITU for intensive treatment unit and / or intensive therapy unit). These terms (abbreviations) refer to a specialized medical department that is found in the average hospital and that is responsible for providing intensive medical support (care, medicines, and so on). Various hospitals and / or large clinics have more than one intensive care unit; some even have a special intensive care unit (ICU) for each speciality of medicine (depending on the resources and needs of the hospital). There is no standardized name for such special facilities.

Agitation is a medical condition in which the patient experiences motor restlessness that is accompanied by anxiety. In its extreme forms, this condition leads to hostility, confusion, hyperactivity, and so on. Agitation is a common symptom among patients who are hospitalized in an ICU (intensive care unit). For this reason, scientists began to study ICU Agitation (a form of Agitated State, a wider medical condition). This disorder can appear in a sudden way; most patients experience it in the early morning, after waking up. The length of a crisis of this medical condition can last from a few minutes to a couple of hours, days, weeks, and even months. Most patients who have been diagnosed with this clinical manifestation are elderly individuals. Although more and more patients from all over the world are diagnosed with ICU Agitation every day, very little is known about this medical condition. Progress in the development of a new, more effective therapy of this disorder is little and very slow. The presence of this disorder is sometimes linked to pain, drug administration, delirium, anxiety, and so on.

ICU Agitation Symptoms

The presence of almost all medical conditions (including that of ICU Agitation) is known to determine a variety of symptoms. In this chapter, we aim to familiarize you with some of the most common signs and symptoms (clinical manifestations) that can be observed at a patient who is suffering from this form of Agitation. However, the list that we are able to provide you with may be incomplete. In other words, there are other symptoms that characterize this disease that may have not been listed below. For this reason, we strongly advise all patients to contact their personal health care provider as soon as possible if they experience anything uncommon or unusual about their common behavior or any disturbing symptom in general. After a couple of detailed medical exams, your doctor will be able to set an accurate diagnosis and establish a proper therapeutic approach for your medical condition (your case of ICU Agitation).

After various studies have been performed on several patients who have been diagnosed with Intensive Care Unit Agitation, a list of symptoms has been established. Therefore, the most common clinical manifestations that a patient with ICU Agitation is probably going to present include: restlessness, mental or muscular problems, confusion, muscle weakness, emotional changes, irritability, seizures, dementia, spasms, speech disturbances, depression, epilepsy, and so on. If you want to be given further information regarding this matter (about the common signs that are known to be specific for this dorm of Agitation), we strongly advise you to seek the help of a professional (a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist, and so on).

ICU Agitation Treatment

The concern of every individual who is diagnosed with a medical disorder (including ICU Agitation) is to try and fight against it (or at least to keep it under control). Like in most other cases, the success of the therapy against Intensive Care Unit Agitation depends on several factors (among which: the severity of the disorder, the general health condition of the patient, and so on). In order to obtain the most beneficial effects form their therapy against ICU Agitation, the patient must follow all of his or her personal health care provider’s directions (instructions). It is best if the disorder is diagnosed in due time, and the patient is granted medical support in the early stages of his or her medical condition.

The most common therapeutic approach in the case of patients who are suffering from this particular form of Agitated State is the well known drug therapy. After performing a few medical tests and after learning more about your medical history, your physician will choose a set of medicines that you will have to take in on a regular basis. However, before you start your treatment trial with any drug, your doctor will probably want you to undergo a set of allergy tests in order to make sure that you are not hypersensitive to any of the ingredients of those medical products. In this way, unpleasant accidents and / or complications will be avoided.

The most common medicines that are prescribed to patients who have been diagnosed with ICU Agitation include psychotropic drugs (such as Abilify), antipsychotic medications (like Abilify Discmelt), medicines that are also employed in the therapy against other mental disorders such as schizophrenia (Aripiprazole, Aripiprazole solution, Promazine, and so on), medicines that are effective in treating symptoms such as pain (Opiates), delirium (Haloperidol) or anxiety (Benzodiazepines).

A seizure of ICU Agitation is an emergency situation that requires the taking of a set of immediate measures. In the first stage of the seizure, it is important to try and calm the patient through verbal means. In the best case, a cooperative relationship between the patient and the doctor (health care provider(s)) is set in order to ease the applying of the next stages of the treatment.The next stages of the therapy against a crisis of ICU Agitation generally consist in the administration of emergency medication (powerful drugs). The most common of them are Ativan, Citalopram, Carbamazepine, Diastat, Fluoxetine, and so on. Such medicines must only be administered under the direct supervision of a health care provider, and only in case of an emergency crisis that is getting out of hand. For further information regarding the most common therapy options that are available for this form of Agitated State, we strongly advise you to contact your personal doctor.