The ICU can be a traumatizing place for patients, who are frequently heavily sedated, rendered unable to speak by breathing tubes, isolated by family visit limitations, and sometimes even physically restrained. In fact, a significant proportion of patients discharged from the ICU later develop persistent cognitive impairments and physical disabilities. Over the past two decades, Dr. Wes Ely has worked to improve the care of patients in the ICU, leading landmark studies resulting in the development of delirium prevention protocols that are now adopted in ICUs everywhere. Today, Dr. Ely co-directs the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this episode, Dr. Ely joins us to share his career-long fight to reform ICU medicine and to recount poignant stories that illuminate and elevate the humanity of patients amid the chaos of the ICU — and in the process discusses themes that seldom appear in contemporary medical discourse, such as love, beauty, and mercy.
In this episode, you will hear about:
Dr. Wes Ely is the author of Every Deep-Drawn Breath, a chronicle of his experiences caring for ICU patients.
You can find out more about his work at ICUDelirium.org
Follow Dr. Ely on Twitter @WesElyMD
Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.
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