Diagnosis: After an operation, a patient can no longer speak

A man is being operated on. Everything seems to be going well. But a few days after the operation, the man starts acting strangely. He looks scared. He’s looking for words. A specialist discovers the disturbing reason.

Recorded by Constanze Löffler

The man, in his mid-80s, had very poor blood circulation in his right leg. In order to avoid the vascular constriction and to save his leg, a bypass was placed in his leg at our clinic. The hour-long operation went without complications and he was fine in the recovery room. Because of his age and because he had numerous previous illnesses, he was considered at risk of delirium. This is where the so-called Delir Team, to which I belong, came into play.

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