Hi all, I was just wondering, is confusion common in ICU, my dad is waiting for a bed to become available in a recovery ward from covid, but he’s very confused, he thinks he’s at home one minute then in a hotel the next.
He was on a ventilator and in a coma for many weeks.
He is now breathing by himself and is clinically safe.
It’s now his mind we’re concerned about!
Hi Mitch
What you describe is not unusual. I was in icu for some time and believed that I was in the Gaydon Museum for most of the time. I also believed I was in a number of other places. This is called delirium. We / I was in my own reality and no matter what others said to me that is where I was. As the drugs start to wear off it will clear. But it can take awhile.
About 50% of ICU patients get delirium, about 70% of ventilated.
Have a look at the delirium pdf on this link
Yes this is very common. With time it will fade 🙂
i was in a coma for 4 weeks and ventilated i was confused for about 2 weeks after this is very common for this thanks
Totally normal. I was in a COVID coma for a month and ventilated for weeks afterwards too as I was gradually weaned off oxygen support. I had all sorts of confusion, on the ICU award I thought once I was in a student hall of residence, and another time in a cabin on a cruise ship (!) .
The first night I was moved to a general heart/lung ward I then thought I was in a motel in the USA.
It took quite some time for “normality” to break through as medications were reduced and I started slowly coming around properly.
Please don’t be concerned about his mind. I saw my younger brother go through this in ICU pre Covid times and it frightened me as he seemed like a stranger. Look at the delerium info that Sepsur had posted. It will really help you under that this happens when people are recovering from critical illness and fighting infection and sedation is being withdrawn. I hope your Dad recovers well.
Hi there, it is very common. My dad maintains he left the hospital every night and they locked him out. Funny now, but initially it was concerning. It eventually goes away, but they may still believe somethings happened when in fact you know its not the case
Yes! All those sedating and paralysing drugs he had while ventilated have both amnesiac and hallucinatory effects. When I was ventilated I had all kind of weird dreams and hallucinations. It might also depend on his age. I'm 62 and it took me a few weeks to sort out what was real and what wasn't. Take care and best wishes x
Thank you.
Glad to hear you’re now ok, dad was moved to a regular ward last week and he’s becoming less confused. He’s 72, and has been through so much, it’s a miracle we have him, and will be forever grateful to the nhs 💙
Very much so, in ICU 12 days with Covid and really didn't know what was real and what was not but thoughts all hospital based so must have known where I was. Best wishes.
Son in ICU
Any experiences from COVID ICU patients in their 70s? We seem to have a small window left.
Icu delirium 
My husband 37 days in ICU and profound ICU weakness
