Neurologic Complications of Critical Illness

This article provides an overview of common neurologic complications of critical illness, with attention to advances in pathophysiology, neuromonitoring, and treatment.

There have been advances in screening tools for delirium and evolving consensus for its pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments. Effects of altered cerebral autoregulation and options for its neuromonitoring in patients with organ-specific encephalopathy are developing areas of research. There is increased understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of septic encephalopathy and critical illness-associated diaphragm weakness.

The neurologic complications of critical illness can be unique to the processes underlying the critical illness and can persist as independent disease states even after resolution of the inciting critical illness. Acquired neurologic conditions in patients who have critical illness may be organized into those associated with procedural complications, end organ dysfunction, and prolonged critical illness.