Neuroemergencies in Critical Care Patients

Neurological disorders are common among critically ill patients. Abnormal physical exam findings may signal a neurological emergency or a complication of critical illness itself. Timely diagnosis of bacterial meningitis, spinal cord compression, stroke, and status epilepticus is essential as early therapy improves outcomes for patients with these conditions. More commonly however, alterations in mental status and muscle strength in critically ill patients are due to the effects of systemic organ failure and ICU medications. While there are no pharmacologic treatments for delirium and ICU-acquired weakness, their presence has both short- and long-term prognostic implications.