[Cerebral dysfunction as a component of multiple organ failure in surgical patients (lecture)].

Development of delirium in critically ill patients is considered complication of basic disease which increases patients' hospital stay, mortality rate and the cost of treatment. Despite wide prevalence delirium often remains undiagnosed by physicians in ICU. Routine use of screening scales permits to diagnose delirium timely. Multicomponent preventive strategy with intermittent sedation and dexmedetomidine improves the results of treatment.

[New approach to postoperative delirium treatment].

The efficiency of different drugs for sedation was studied in 51 patients after large abdominal operations complicated by postoperative delirium. Diagnosis of postoperative delirium was established according to CAM-ICU criteria. Dexmedetomidine has demonstrated significantly decreased duration of delirium and hospital stay in intensive care unit in comparison with haloperidol. Besides, patients which received dexmedetomidine preserved opportunity for verbal contact. Also these patients interacted better with department's stuff.