November 5, 2013

Long-Term Cognitive Impairment Too Common After Critical Illness

Patients treated in intensive care units across the globe enter their medical care with no evidence of cognitive impairment but often leave with deficits similar to those seen in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) that persists for at least a year, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health.