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ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health is the nation's only specialized medical stabilization center providing care for the most medically compromised eating disorder patients. For more information about ACUTE or a free medical assessment, call 877 ACUTE 4U or visit ACUTE online.
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The ACUTE Difference
Highly individualized, one-on-one care for your most medically compromised patients.
ACUTE stands alone as the only specialized medical stabilization program in the country for adults with severe anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Part of ACUTE's unique approach to treatment is the highly-individualized one-on-one care each patient receives.
ACUTE patients benefit from a setting unlike any other program they've experienced - one focused solely on the individual.
Each patient is welcomed into a private room on ACUTE's dedicated medical unit away from the distraction of a milieu setting. ACUTE does not incorporate group therapies or meals and rather encourages patients to focus wholly on their own recovery and avoid harmful comparative and competitive behaviors.
Every patient that enters ACUTE receives a highly individualized treatment plan designed to achieve the following:
- Treat medical complications associated with severe anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
- Avoid and manage the potentially fatal risks of refeeding syndrome
- Prepare him/her for a smooth transition into a traditional inpatient or residential eating disorder treatment program
ACUTE Center Highlights:
- Denver Health's nationally acclaimed medical care
- One-to-one treatment with a multidisciplinary team of expert providers
- Daily (M-F) dietary and therapeutic support as needed
- In-room patient assistant available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Comprehensive discharge planning and coordination of continued care
| The ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders Experience |
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ACUTE Free Webinar Series
In June 2013 ACUTE introduced its Free Educational Webinar Series and hosted the first session in July with outstanding success. Over 75 professionals from around the country participated in the interactive online session and provided wonderful feedback.
"Dr. G was wonderful! She helped me to understand complex medical issues with ease, and offered great suggestions for communicating these issues directly with my patients. Very helpful!"
The first webinar, Medical Complications of Restricting AN-R, was the first in a series of webinars to be led by Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, ACUTE's Assistant Medical Director. Each month, another topic will be introduced in a 1 hour format with time for interactive Q&A from the group. Dr. Gaudiani's presentations include an overview of common medical complications, management techniques, and key points to discuss with patients.
2013 Series Schedule
- 7/9 Medical Complications of Severe Restricting
- 9/11 Medical Complications of Severe Purging
- 10/9 Electrolyte Abnormalities & Gastrointestinal Complications
- 11/13 Osteoporosis in Eating Disorders
- 12/11 Special Populations & Unusual Findings (Eating Disoders in Males, Patients 35+, Diabetes & Eating Disorders)
Mark your calendar! Webinars will be scheduled at 9:30 and 11:30 AM, Mountain Time. Registration space for each session will be limited so reserve your space early! Registration details to follow.
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ACUTE Medical Minute
The Refeeding Syndrome: Who's At Risk?
During early nutritional rehabilitation, also known as refeeding, serious and potentially fatal complications can occur due to the shift in electrolytes and fluid within the body. Symptoms of refeeding syndrome include weakness, inability to breath, seizures, cognitive impairment, confusion, cardiac arrest, heart failure, coma and even death.
Not all at-risk patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa will develop full refeeding syndrome. However, according to a recent ACUTE study of the most at-risk patients, no single marker was found to identify which patients would develop complications of refeeding syndrome. With this knowledge, we can conclude that it is critical that every patient who is at risk for developing complications of refeeding syndrome is monitored by experienced medical professionals during the early refeeding process.
Identifying Risk for Refeeding Syndrome
ONE or more of the following: |
TWO or more of the following: |
BMI < 16 | BMI < 18.5 |
Weight loss of >15% in the
previous 3-6 months | Weigth loss of >10% in the previous 3-6 months |
Little or no nutritional
intake for >10 days |
Little or no nutritional
intake for >5 days |
Low levels of potassium,
phosphorus, or magnesium
prior to refeeding |
History of alcohol or substance
abuse, including insulin,
laxative or diuretic abuse. |
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines for Management of Refeeding Syndrome Click here for more information about refeeding syndrome and ACUTE's specialized medical stabilization program. |
ACUTE in the News
Denver becoming hub for treating eating disorders among both genders (Denver Post)
Although men and boys make up an increasing percentage of the estimated 10 million Americans who struggle with eating disorders, few residential treatment centers will help them.
The four largest eating disorder clinics in Denver - ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, Children's Hospital Colorado, Eating Disorder Center of Denver and Eating Recovery Center - are on a very short list of U.S. programs that accept both genders for treatment of anorexia and bulimia.
Today, males make up more than 10 percent of patients with eating disorders, according to the National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders.
"The cultural pressure around the drive for thinness has over the years expanded beyond the target audience of women and teenagers," said Dr. Jennifer Hagman, director of Children's Hospital of Denver, "It's really not leaving anyone out anymore."
Read More
Starving in the Shadows: Physicians with Eating Disorders (Eating Disorders Online)
Medical school is known for being extremely stressful, and Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani says that this overwhelming stress often triggers an eating disorder, which can continue on past medical school. Dr. Gaudiani also points out that medical students are often perfectionists, which is a very common trait among eating disorder patients. Watch to find out more about this increasingly common phenomenon.
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Starving in the Shadows: Physicians With Eating Disorders |
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ACUTE Research & Publication
In an effort to share our expertise, and set the standard for medical care in the industry, Dr. Philip Mehler and the ACUTE staff actively publish their findings on the medical complications of severe eating disorders.
Below is a list of the team's recent publications available for review:
ER management of patients with eating disorders. Trent SA, Moreira ME, Colwell CB, Mehler PS. Am J Emerg Med. 2013 Apr 23. doi:pii: S0735-6757(13)00140-X. 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.02.035. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 23623238
Hematological abnormalities in severe anorexia nervosa. Sabel AL, Gaudiani JL, Statland B, Mehler PS. Ann Hematol. 2013 May;92(5):605-13. doi: 10.1007/s00277-013-1672-x. Epub 2013 Feb 8.
PMID: 23392575
Elevation of liver function tests in severe anorexia nervosa. Harris RH, Sasson G, Mehler PS. Int J Eat Disord. 2013 May;46(4):369-74. doi: 10.1002/eat.22073. Epub 2012 Dec 20.
PMID: 23280717
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ACUTE Information Close to Home
ACUTE's Program Manager, Rachael Harriman, handles all admissions and outreach events for ACUTE. This fall, she will be visiting professionals and treatment programs across the country to share additional information about the programs available at ACUTE. If you would like to schedule a visit, or are interested in having Drs. Mehler or Gaudiani speak at an upcoming event, email Rachael today!
We look forward to meeting you! |
| Philip S. Mehler, MD, FAED, FACP, CEDS |
Led by Dr. Philip Mehler and Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, patients are offered the very best in medical stabilization and treatment, a compassionate and highly experienced nursing staff, individual psychotherapy, physical therapy, and thorough discharge planning to help them begin recovering. The ACUTE Center is tailored to help both males and females who cannot seek care in a traditional inpatient or residential treatment setting due to the severity of their weight loss or other medical complications. ACUTE contracts with most insurance companies and uses the patient's medical
insurance benefit for stabilization care.
| Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS |
Who to refer to ACUTE for stabilization:
- Any patient weighing less than 70% of his/her ideal body weight
- Serious medical complications (electrolyte disorders, fluid problems, organ failure, previous bouts of refeeding syndrome)
- Need to "detox" from severe purging, laxative or diuretic abuse
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