Assessing Acute Mental Status: Basic Laboratory Findings

Abstract

The onset of encephalopathy may be difficult to detect on the rehabilitation floor for a variety of reasons. The rehabilitation patient’s premorbid cognition may be unknown making it difficult to detect decline or subtle changes in a patient’s mental status may be masked by their acute illness (e.g., cognitive slowing after stroke may mask a metabolic deficiency). However, there are several causes of encephalopathy which may be elucidated through laboratory analysis. This chapter is intended to assist clinicians in the diagnosis of reversible causes of encephalopathy using basic laboratory findings.