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.

Failure to use research evidence leads to inefficiencies, reduced quality of life, says Dr. Sharon

Health care systems around the world are failing to use evidence obtained through research when making decisions, causing inefficiencies and reduced quantity and quality of life, according to a leading expert in the field of "knowledge translation."

20 Jan 2011

Neuroscientists say that general anesthesia is a reversible coma

The brain under general anesthesia isn't "asleep" as surgery patients are often told -- it is placed into a state that is a reversible coma, according to three neuroscientists who have published an extensive review of general anesthesia, sleep and coma, in the Dec. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Dec 2010

New 5-minute Memory Orientation Screening Test to identify elderly patients with dementia

A new 5-minute test to identify elderly patients with dementia promises to give doctors a more sensitive tool to use in the Annual Wellness Examination. The Memory Orientation Screening Test (MOST™) developed by Mitchell Clionsky, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist, and Emilymarie Clionsky, MD, an internist/psychiatrist, is based on their clinical experience with thousands of patients who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias, which now afflicts more than 5 million Americans.

10 Dec 2010

Increased staffing enhances patient survival in medical ICU

In a first-of-its-kind study to measure the impact of the highest recommended specialist staffing levels in an intensive care unit, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that increased staffing by specially trained physicians and other health care professionals can enhance patient survival and enable patients to breathe sooner without assistance. The results of the study have been released online ahead of print in the journal Critical Care Medicine.

30 Nov 2010

Cardiac surgery leads to stroke, seizure and neurological complications: Report

Strokes, seizures and other neurological complications related to heart surgery account for "considerable morbidity and mortality," Loyola University Health System neurologists report in the November issue of the journal Hospital Practice.

17 Nov 2010

Neurologic complications remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality after heart surgeries

16 Nov 2010

Experts develop new screening test to detect dementia in elderly patients

Dementia and cognitive impairment are widespread among elderly individuals in the United States, affecting more than 8 million people to some degree.

10 Nov 2010

Arthritis drugs also prevent post-operative cognitive decline: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis may also help prevent cognitive problems after surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

2 Nov 2010

AHRQ: Hospital admissions for adverse drug reactions have doubled

News outlets report on the hospital industry, including admission rates, mergers and quality improvement programs.

1 Nov 2010

Admissions for medication, drug-related conditions increase by 117% among Americans aged 45 and older

The number of hospital admissions among Americans ages 45 and older for medication and drug-related conditions doubled between 1997 and 2008, according to a new report released today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Medication and drug-related conditions include effects of both prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as illicit drugs.

26 Oct 2010

Drugs may prevent temporary combativeness in children after surgery

Temporary combativeness after surgery-a complication affecting up to half of anesthetized children-may be preventable with drugs that decrease epinephrine production, according to a Medical College of Georgia pediatric anesthesiologist.

11 Oct 2010

Project for improving nurses' assessment skills to detect and alleviate delirium symptoms

In the future, nurses may more accurately detect and alleviate symptoms of delirium in persons with dementia, thanks to a five-year, $2.7-million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research.The project, led by Donna Fick, professor of nursing, Penn State, seeks to improve nurses' assessment skills and reduce the use of drugs to treat delirium and dementia.

5 Aug 2010

Delirium increases risk of death in older patients

A review and analysis of previous research indicates that delirium in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of death, dementia, and institutionalization, independent of age, co-existing illnesses or illness severity, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Jul 2010

Health care industry and professionals respond to seniors' growing health needs

The explosive growth of the USA's older population is fueling a grass-roots 'village' movement in neighborhoods across the country to help people age in their own homes. More than 50 villages in a neighbor-helping-neighbor system have sprouted in the past decade from California and Colorado to Nebraska and Massachusetts.

27 Jul 2010

Decreased perioperative cerebral oxygenation values linked to poor outcomes after aortic arch surgery

CAS Medical Systems, Inc. today announced that a new study published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery supports the association between decreased perioperative cerebral oxygenation values and poor outcomes after aortic arch surgery.

15 Jul 2010

Drugs taken for common medical conditions cause long term cognitive impairment in older adults: Study

Drugs commonly taken for a variety of common medical conditions including insomnia, allergies, or incontinence negatively affect the brain causing long term cognitive impairment in older African-Americans, according to a study appearing in the July 13, 2010 print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jul 2010

AlphaRx reports positive preclinical results of GAI-122 injectable nanoemulsion for Acute Ischemic Stroke

AlphaRx, Inc. announced positive preclinical results of GAI-122 injectable nanoemulsion, a Mitochondria-targeted neuroprotective drug candidate being developed for the treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke. The results will be delivered as a podium presentation during the 37th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Controlled Release Society in Portland, Oregon July 10 - 14, 2010.

13 Jul 2010

First Edition: June 21, 2010

Today's news includes an exploration of the impact of Medicare payment rates on physicians, an analysis of the fate of the COBRA subsidy and how an innovation may offer a medical malpractice fix.

21 Jun 2010

Secondhand smoke exposure associated with psychological distress

Exposure to secondhand smoke appears to be associated with psychological distress and the risk of future psychiatric hospitalization among healthy adults, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Patients who participate in physical therapist-led exercise achieve higher functional mobility: Report

Patients who are critically ill and participate in mild exercise programs led by physical therapists achieve higher functional mobility and spend fewer days in intensive care units and hospitals than those who receive less exercise, according to a report published in the April issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

12 May 2010