Being frightened by "paranormal phenomena" while in hospital? There may be a scientific explanation

Hospitals are familiar places to most people, but they are full of mystery. In addition to curing illnesses and saving lives, various "folk legends" are always spread here. There are even patients who claim that they have encountered "supernatural events" in the hospital, and they describe them vividly. Many doctors even use their "personal experiences" as after-dinner talk, adding a thicker color to this mysterious fog.

Is it just hearsay or is it true? In fact, the descriptions of the witnesses may not be false, but they are not as psychedelic as described in the legend, because these phenomena can be explained by medical knowledge.

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Listen to the ICU doctor tell the seemingly fantastic story

When I was chatting with a colleague who works in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), I heard him talk about two "supernatural events" he had encountered:

1. One night, a patient who was hospitalized for cardiogenic shock sat on the bed in a daze. Due to his critical condition, the patient was intubated as soon as he was admitted to the hospital, and the tracheal tube was just removed a day ago. It was late at night and no one was around, but the patient kept looking at the end of his bed, mumbling in his mouth, as if he was chatting with someone. This scene scared the nurse on duty and quickly called the doctor!

As a result, the doctor just laughed and said, "You can spend more time chatting with him when you have time. He will get better faster."

2. During the ward rounds one morning, a patient asked the attending physician: "When I was half asleep last night, why did I feel so many strange people coming in and out of the ICU?" The nurse who was accompanying the ward rounds was startled and whispered in the doctor's ear: "Last night, there was indeed a patient with sudden cardiac arrest who could not be rescued..."

The doctor glanced at the nurse and said to the patient with a smile: "Let's not think about it anymore. Everything will be fine once we are transferred to the general ward."

…………

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It sounds very mysterious, but don't be too imaginative, this is actually "ICU syndrome" at work! From a professional perspective, we prefer to use the word "delirium".

02

What is ICU syndrome?

ICU syndrome refers to a clinical syndrome characterized by mental disorders and other abnormal manifestations in critically ill patients during ICU monitoring. Patients often experience delirium, auditory and visual hallucinations, abnormal behavior, confusion, etc. These so-called "supernatural events" seem to be experienced by patients themselves, and may appear vivid in terms of vision, feeling, and even touch, but these are just abnormal reactions of body functions.

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The reasons for its formation are a combination of favorable conditions, favorable conditions and favorable people.

Severely ill patients admitted to the ICU not only suffer severe physical trauma, but also great mental stress. In addition to the special environment and drug treatment in the ICU, these will cause many patients to experience the phenomenon of "ICU syndrome". Depending on the specific situation of each person, the incidence rate ranges from 20% to 80%!

1. Personal factors

Because some patients suffer from sudden illness and lack sufficient psychological preparation, they tend to exaggerate their condition or even think that it is life-threatening, thus generating a strong sense of fear and threat. This is especially true for introverted patients or those with a history of mental illness or cerebrovascular disease.

2. Treatment factors

Severely ill patients will receive more complex treatment in the ICU, such as hormones, benzodiazepines (literature confirms that other sedatives can also cause delirium, so analgesics and sedatives should be used regularly), and theophylline drugs, all of which may cause mental symptoms; anti-infective drugs such as moxifloxacin will have varying degrees of mental side effects on the elderly. Especially for endotracheal intubation, the incidence of ICU syndrome in patients receiving mechanical ventilation can be as high as 50%-80%!

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3. Environmental factors

Patients in the ICU cannot see their family members for a long time, and the lights in the closed ward are brightly on 24 hours a day. In addition, medical staff are busy coming in and out for work. The surrounding monitoring and treatment equipment make long-term, monotonous noise and even alarm sounds, especially when seeing the rescue and death of other patients in the same ward, it is more likely to make people have psychological reactions such as loneliness, helplessness, fear, tension and anxiety, thereby inducing the occurrence of this syndrome.

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Manifestations of ICU syndrome

The manifestations of ICU syndrome are diverse, ranging from mental awareness to limb movements, and to uninformed outsiders, it is indeed easy to associate them with "supernatural events."

1. Delirium: the most common, such as hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, speech disorder, and some patients even describe themselves as floating in the air;

2. Abnormal behavior: such as gesticulating, shouting, or even uncontrolled tearing, hitting, and scolding;

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3. Confusion of consciousness and thinking: symptoms such as delusions, fragmented thinking, and irrelevant answers;

4. Other systemic symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia, body aches, diarrhea, constipation, abnormal skin sensation, etc.

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How is ICU syndrome treated?

Mild ICU syndrome generally does not cause organic damage to the body. It often returns to normal after leaving the ICU environment, such as being transferred to a general ward or being discharged from the hospital, and returning to a relatively normal life/work state. As the patient's mind relaxes and gradually resumes a normal routine, the patient can return to normal. In addition to the ICU, some patients in general wards may also show symptoms of this syndrome. At this time, doctors and family members need to give patients more communication and care to relieve their tension and help them relax. Chatting, listening to music, and appropriate psychological hints can all play a very significant positive role.

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More severe ICU syndrome may cause serious consequences, reduce the quality of life and work ability, and even increase the mortality rate of patients after discharge, requiring early, formal psychological, behavioral and drug intervention treatment.

Author | Zhang Jianbo, attending physician of the Department of Cardiology, Cangzhou Central Hospital

Review | Yuan Hongxun, deputy chief physician, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Peking University International Hospital

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

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