Ep 36: Post-Operative Delirium (Heather Dyck & Liam Dowling)

Recorded on May 28, 2024.

Join us this week where Heather Dyck, a patient partner and advocate for post-operative delirium screening, and Dr. Liam Dowling, a PGY-2 anesthesia resident at the University of Saskatchewan, discuss post-operative delirium, including manifestations, complications, and management, from both a physician and patient point of view.

Heather Dyck is a Patient Partner, wife, mother and grandmother who has extensive health care and health system experience with MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Severe Spinal Stenosis, multiple surgeries and hospitalizations for herself. This shortened her career as a Medical Laboratory Technologist significantly but gave her a system view of health care. She was the principle family caregiver for her parents involving many co-morbidities for her father and frailty, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer’s eventually, and early cognitive impairment already diagnosed when a fall at home and subsequent replacement of a fractured hip led to undiagnosed POD. This changed the lives of all family members.

Liam Dowling is an anesthesia resident in Saskatoon. He completed his undergraduate and medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston. His post secondary academic interests have included education, mathematics, ecology, and now anesthesia and delirium management. In his spare time he enjoys the New York Times crossword, birdwatching and his cat, River, short for Rivaroxaban.

Please note that while this podcast is run by healthcare professionals, it is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing beats care that is individualized to your own unique medical needs, so if you have any questions about content covered in this podcast that relates to your own health, please speak with your doctor today.

Additionally, the views expressed on this show are our own and do not necessarily represent those of the USask Department of Anesthesiology.