Nonconvulsive status epilepticus as a cause for delayed emergence after electroconvulsive therapy.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Hansen-Grant.
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OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric residents frequently prescribe medication for patients who are in psychotherapy with another clinician. This study examined the extent and characteristics of communication between psychiatric residents and psychotherapists who treated patients in a university outpatient clinic. METHODS: Thirteen psychiatric residents who prescribed medications for 83 patients seen by other clinicians for therapy were surveyed about whether and how often during a five-month period they had contact with the therapist, who initiated the contact, and whether it took place with the patient's consent. Patients' charts were reviewed to determine if contacts were documented. RESULTS: The psychiatric residents indicated they had contact with the therapist in 44 of 83 cases (53 percent). Contact was initiated by the prescribing psychiatrist in 47.7 percent of the cases and by the therapist in 43.2 percent of the cases. The charts of only seven patients (8.4 percent) included written documentation of contact. CONCLUSIONS: Several steps are necessary to optimize communication between treating clinicians and documentation of such communication. They include initial contact to discuss the treatment contract and clarify each clinician's responsibilities, formal written consent from the patient, regular contacts between clinicians to discuss the patient's progress, and collaboration between clinicians on the patient's treatment plan.
Subclinical status epilepticus is a rare complication of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). We describe the case of a 70-year-old man with psychotic depression who developed prolonged subclinical status epilepticus following an initial ECT treatment; he subsequently received a course of ECT without complications. It is important to consider status epilepticus in the differential diagnosis of patients who do not regain consciousness following ECT, even in the absence of overt motor seizure activity. The development of this complication does not preclude the future use of ECT; in fact, ECT has been repeated successfully in individuals who developed this complication, including this case. Identification of potential risk factors, appropriate preventive measures, and early intervention are important in the management of this complication. The literature is reviewed and appropriate preventive and treatment measures are discussed.
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Frequently, bills are not submitted for follow-up visits for patients who have been evaluated psychiatrically on medical-surgical services. There often is confusion regarding which procedure codes are most appropriate to use in billing. To help the consultant understand the documentation requirements for various procedure codes, information from several sources was synthesized and distilled. This paper should help minimize documentation errors and maximize reimbursement for clinical services. The authors have reviewed available billing choices, and clarified the documentation requirements for different procedure codes according to Medicare regulations.