Delirium News and Research

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Delirium is a mental state in which a person is confused, disoriented, and not able to think or remember clearly. The person may also be agitated and have hallucinations, and extreme excitement.

Patients with chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease may benefit from PTE

Patients with chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease may benefit from pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), even if the patients don't have severe pulmonary hypertension, according to University of California, San Diego, researchers.

19 May 2014

New intervention program may benefit chronically homeless, alcohol-dependent individuals

Chronically homeless, alcohol-dependent individuals might benefit from a new intervention that does not require them to stop or even reduce drinking, according to the results of a preliminary study in Seattle.

16 May 2014

Study: Depression affects more than one out of three critical care survivors

Depression affects more than one out of three survivors of critical illness, according to a Vanderbilt study released in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and the majority of patients experience their symptoms physically rather than mentally.

26 Apr 2014

Clot-busting tPA therapy for ischemic stroke patients can avoid lengthy, restrictive monitoring in ICU

A Johns Hopkins study of patients with ischemic stroke suggests that many of those who receive prompt hospital treatment with "clot-busting" tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy can avoid lengthy, restrictive monitoring in an intensive care unit (ICU).

13 Feb 2014

Nearly half of hospitalized American adults age 65 require decision-making assistance

Nearly half of hospitalized American adults age 65 and older require decision-making assistance from family members or other surrogates because the patient is too impaired to make decisions independently, according to a new study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research.

23 Jan 2014

Basic hospice strategies can make last days of dying inpatients more comfortable and dignified

There is much value in training hospital and nursing home staff in the basics of palliative care to make the last days of a dying patient's life as comfortable and dignified as possible.

22 Jan 2014

Continued use of statins may help prevent delirium in critically ill patients

Continued use of statins may help prevent delirium in critically ill patients who received statins before hospital admission, according to a new study of 470 intensive care patients in the UK.

17 Jan 2014

Researchers identify first biomarker that appears to be associated with duration of delirium

Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research have identified the first biomarker that appears to be linked to the duration of delirium.

16 Dec 2013

Genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy, safety in patients with blood disorders

A series of advancements in genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy and safety in patients with blood disorders for whom standard treatments have been unsuccessful, according to data showcased today during the 55th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans.

9 Dec 2013

Nurse-led initiatives in Indiana improve patient outcomes

Nurse-led initiatives in Indiana measurably improved patient outcomes while demonstrating anticipated financial savings of more than $5.2 million to their organizations, according to initial results from a hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program launched last year by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

6 Dec 2013

Senior patients with traumatic injuries can benefit from geriatric care

Older patients who received extra geriatric care following a traumatic injury were able to return to roughly two thirds more daily activities than those without a consultation, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Michigan Health System and University of California, Los Angeles.

28 Nov 2013

UL research aims to improve diagnosis and management of delirium among palliative care patients

University of Limerick researchers have been awarded €175,000 to undertake research which aims to improve diagnosis and management of delirium, dementia and depression among palliative care patients.

28 Oct 2013

Elderly patients who have diabetes are more likely to suffer from postoperative delirium, undergo longer surgery

Elderly surgical patients are more likely to suffer from debilitating post-operative delirium if they have diabetes, undergo longer surgery or respond poorly to stress, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting.

15 Oct 2013

Researchers identify molecular pathway linking ICU ventilation to brain damage

At least 30 percent of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) suffer some form of mental dysfunction as reflected in anxiety, depression, and especially delirium. In mechanically-ventilated ICU patients, the incidence of delirium is particularly high, about 80 percent, and may be due in part to damage in the hippocampus, though how ventilation is increasing the risk of damage and mental impairment has remained elusive.

25 Sep 2013

Cognitive barriers, sensory problems put patients at risk of receiving sub-optimal treatment

Patients' inability to communicate because of sensory or cognitive impairment can be a significant barrier to pain management, according to researchers writing in the journal Nursing Older People.

18 Sep 2013

Leading geriatrician asserts elimination of Medicare three-night hospital stay rule

Elimination of a Medicare rule that mandates a three-night hospital stay as a precondition for skilled nursing rehabilitation coverage could reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and improve patient care without increasing costs to the patient or the federal government, a leading geriatrician asserts in on online publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Sep 2013

Patients with pre-existing dementia may experience delirium when hospitalized

More than half of all patients with pre-existing dementia will experience delirium while hospitalized. Failing to detect and treat their delirium early leads to a faster decline of both their physical and mental health, according to health researchers.

17 Sep 2013

Antipsychotic drug not effective in treating delirium in critically ill patients

Haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug used in many hospitals to treat delirium in critically ill patients, is no more effective than placebo in reducing the number of days that critically ill patients spend either delirious or in a coma, according to new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

22 Aug 2013

Study shows ERs are not meeting needs of senior citizens

Emergency departments are not meeting the needs of senior citizens, according to a new international study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

21 Aug 2013

UCSF researchers develop assessment tool to predict patient's risk of delirium

UC San Francisco researchers have developed a two-minute assessment tool to help hospital staff predict a patient-s risk of delirium, a change in mental cognition characterized by severe confusion and disorientation that can prolong hospital stays.

7 Aug 2013