Weekend Reading: Delirium Factories, Hear Me Out, Here’s to Halloween and more!

The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the essential role of intensive care units (ICUs) in treating critically ill patients, such as those with severe respiratory conditions.

One of the early intensive care units was started during the polio epidemic of1952 in Copenhagen. Anesthesiologist Bjorn Ibsen found that forcing oxygen by hand through a tracheotomy could save the lives of polio patients. Shifts of over 1,000 volunteer medical and dental students hand ventilated the lungs of polio patients.

The ICU of today bears little resemblance to the early critical care units. The advancement of medical science and technology through the years has improved ICU patients’ clinical outcomes – but sometimes with the terrifying side-effect off short-term or long-term delirium. ICU delirium not only impacts the patient and their loved ones, it also increases health care costs.

This Weekend Reading series begins with Heard About “Delirium Factories”? with articles on the history of ICUs, ICU delirium and its human and monetary costs. Next check out Here’s Some News with articles on noteworthy healthcare news topics. In Hear Me Out, explore articles on ageism, cyber security for implanted medical devices, and more. Last but not least, do not miss Here’s to Halloween and my personal favorite, Demon Cat!

I hope you enjoy the following:

1. Heard About “Delirium Factories”?

• Nature: The outbreak that invented intensive care
• New York Times: ‘They Want to Kill Me’: Many Covid Patients Have Terrifying Delirium
• Michigan Radio: New study shows just how common long-term cognitive impairment is for some COVID patients
• Health Lab – University of MI Lab: Delirium is a common consequence of severe COVID-19
• Healio: Delirium led to higher health care costs after major elective surgery

2. Here’s Some News

• STAT: CDC advisory panel backs mix-and-match approach to Covid-19 vaccine boosters
• NPR: In a major scientific advance, a pig kidney is successfully transplanted into a human
• Fierce Healthcare: Study shows promise of mobile apps, connected devices to help patients manage hypertension
• Axios: Aduhelm is bombing

 
3. Hear Me Out

• Kaiser Health News: ‘They Treat Me Like I’m Old and Stupid’: Seniors Decry Health Providers’ Age Bias
• STAT: Don’t give Covid-19 long-haulers the silent treatment
• AMA Journal of Ethics: What Should Cardiac Patients Know About Device Cybersecurity Prior to Implantation?
• STAT: In the calm before the superbug storm, the world needs to prepare

4. Here’s to Halloween

• White House Historical Association: Demon Cat
• Farmers’ Almanac: Why Do We Trick Or Treat?
• Merriam-Webster: The History of ‘Jack-O’-Lantern’
• American Literature: Halloween Stories