EEG is an increasingly utilized tool among critically ill patients.  This chapter explores how to interpret the clinical significance of various EEG patterns which are commonly encountered in the ICU. The IBCC chapter is located 👉 here. The podcast & comments are below. Follow us on iTunes

Neuro-oncologic emergencies are commonly encountered in critical care.  Rapidly evolving biological therapies for cancer offer patients exciting benefits, but have also created new sets of complications (e.g., checkpoint inhibitor-induced encephalitis).  Patients may be suffering from complications of the malignancy itself, complications of therapy, or wholly unrelated problems. The IBCC chapter is located 👉 here. The […]

One and a half years ago, a landmark study by Sjoding et al. found that critically ill Black patients were more likely than White patients to have falsely reassuring pulse oximetry measurements (discussed here).​1​  Subsequently, six sizable studies have been published on this topic.  Since this is of critical importance to acute care medicine, it’s […]

Movement disorders are encountered more frequently in the critical care unit than one might realize.  For example Parkinson’s disease alone affects ~1% of patients over sixty years old (often requiring careful consideration in medication management, to avoid either psychosis or Parkinsonism-hyperpyrexia syndrome).  Other disorders are less common, but their recognition may be critical (e.g., propofol […]

Carotid or vertebral artery dissection are important considerations in trauma and also common causes of ischemic stroke among younger patients.  Variable presentations and a plethora of different diagnostic modalities can make this tricky. The IBCC chapter is located 👉 here. The podcast & comments are below. Follow us on iTunes

Neurologic emergencies in pregnancy are challenging as there is very little high-quality evidence regarding them.  This chapter attempts to review available information, but large gaps remain.  Ideally, such gaps may be filled by using multidisciplinary teams which personalize care for each individual patient. The IBCC chapter is located 👉 here. The podcast & comments are […]

Catatonia is an important cause of altered mental status which is often overlooked among critically ill patients.  Although traditionally associated with schizophrenia, catatonia can result from a variety of psychiatric, neurologic, and medical problems (similar to delirium).  It is important to diagnose catatonia, because otherwise patients are likely to be incorrectly labeled as having delirium […]