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.

Study spotlights postoperative delirium as a preventable and high-impact complication

A new large-scale study spotlights postoperative delirium as a preventable and high-impact complication, which is driven by patient frailty and surgical stress-and one that can be addressed through low-cost, evidence-based interventions.

9 Jul 2025

Two blood pressure management strategies yield similar cognitive outcomes after non-cardiac surgery

A large international study has found that two different approaches to managing blood pressure in older adults undergoing non-cardiac surgery, one avoiding low blood pressure (hypotension) and the other high blood pressure (hypertension), lead to similar outcomes in terms of in-hospital delirium and cognitive changes one year after surgery.

4 Jun 2025

Post-Intensive Care Syndrome patients experience long-term deficits in cognitive and physical function

More than half of ICU survivors may experience Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), which involves new or worsening physical, psychological, or cognitive impairments after a critical illness.

20 May 2025

AI model significantly improves detection and treatment of delirium

An artificial intelligence (AI) model improved outcomes in hospitalized patients by quadrupling the rate of detection and treatment of delirium.

7 May 2025

EEG monitoring helps reduce anesthesia use and improves pediatric recovery

Newly published results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial in Japan among more than 170 children aged 1 to 6 who underwent surgery, show that by using EEG readings of brain waves to monitor unconsciousness, an anesthesiologist can significantly reduce the amount of the anesthesia administered to safely induce and sustain each patient's anesthetized state.

21 Apr 2025

Macular thickness could predict postoperative delirium in older patients

Thickening of the macular layer of the eye's retina is associated with a greater risk of postoperative delirium for older patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthetic, reveals a study published online in the open access journal General Psychiatry.

2 Apr 2025

New advisory offers evidence-based strategies to prevent postoperative delirium in older adults

Delirium and cognitive decline are common complications of anesthesia and surgery in older adults.

10 Dec 2024

Geriatric Surgery Verification program enhances postoperative outcomes for older cancer patients

Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program leads to better postoperative outcomes and preserves independence in older cancer patients undergoing major abdominal procedures, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons

10 Dec 2024

Weill Cornell Medicine professor receives major grant for pediatric pain management study

Dr. Chani Traube, the Gerald M. Loughlin, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a $3.4 million grant, with the possibility of extending to a total of $17 million over five years, from the National Institutes of Health, for a large-scale clinical trial called Optimizing Pain Treatment in Children on Mechanical ventilation (OPTICOM).

1 Nov 2024

Poor sleep before surgery linked to increased risk of postoperative delirium

People who experience poor sleep in the month before surgery may be more likely to develop postoperative delirium, according to new research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting.

20 Oct 2024

New tool helps identify anxiety and depression in pediatric surgery patients

A new, computerized, mental health assessment tool may allow doctors to quickly identify children experiencing anxiety or depression before surgery, suggests new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting.

20 Oct 2024

Study suggests NSAIDs may lower postoperative delirium risk

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help reduce patients' risk of postoperative delirium, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting.

20 Oct 2024

Geriatric Surgery Verification program reduces rates of death after surgery

Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program can reduce rates of death after surgery and increase the percentage of patients with documentation standards, such as advanced care directives, according to two studies being presented at the ACS Clinical Congress 2024 in San Francisco, California.

18 Oct 2024

Rising concerns over benzodiazepine prescriptions in older stroke survivors

Although there has been a slight downward trend in the prescription of benzodiazepines (depressants that relieve anxiety, muscle spasms, produce sedation and reduce seizures) among older adults over the last decade, the rate of first-time prescriptions for these medications after an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke is still sizable, according to research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

17 Oct 2024

Dronabinol shows promise in reducing agitation in Alzheimer's patients

In a study led by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, researchers show that a pill form of the drug dronabinol, an FDA-approved synthetic version of marijuana's main ingredient, THC, reduces agitation in patients with Alzheimer's by an average of 30%.

2 Oct 2024

Researchers develop tools for objective pain measurement in the operating room

The degree to which a surgical patient's subconscious processing of pain, or "nociception," is properly managed by their anesthesiologist will directly affect the degree of post-operative drug side effects they'll experience and the need for further pain management they'll require.

23 Sep 2024

Liposomal bupivacaine shows no advantage in postoperative pain management for older adults

For older adults undergoing hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture, intraoperative use of liposomal bupivacaine does not improve pain scores or other relevant outcomes, compared to conventional bupivacaine, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

19 Sep 2024

Combination treatment improves symptoms of agitated delirium in end-of-life cancer patients

Treatment with a combination of haloperidol and lorazepam reduced symptoms of agitated delirium, a common end-of-life condition for patients with advanced cancers, compared with haloperidol alone, according to a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

16 Sep 2024

Exploring the role of suvorexant in reducing delirium among older adults

Delirium is a sudden onset and temporary state of disturbed consciousness or cognition, occurring due to underlying medical issues like fever or alcohol withdrawal.

29 Aug 2024

Study confirms safety of high and low oxygen levels for cardiac surgery patients

Two out of 10 people who receive cardiac surgery are affected by acute kidney injury, prolonging their hospital stay and increasing their risk for chronic kidney disease, cognitive decline and heart failure.

21 Aug 2024

Delirium News and Research

Further Reading

Study spotlights postoperative delirium as a preventable and high-impact complication

Two blood pressure management strategies yield similar cognitive outcomes after non-cardiac surgery

Post-Intensive Care Syndrome patients experience long-term deficits in cognitive and physical function

AI model significantly improves detection and treatment of delirium

EEG monitoring helps reduce anesthesia use and improves pediatric recovery

Macular thickness could predict postoperative delirium in older patients

New advisory offers evidence-based strategies to prevent postoperative delirium in older adults

Geriatric Surgery Verification program enhances postoperative outcomes for older cancer patients

Weill Cornell Medicine professor receives major grant for pediatric pain management study

Poor sleep before surgery linked to increased risk of postoperative delirium

New tool helps identify anxiety and depression in pediatric surgery patients

Study suggests NSAIDs may lower postoperative delirium risk

Geriatric Surgery Verification program reduces rates of death after surgery

Rising concerns over benzodiazepine prescriptions in older stroke survivors

Dronabinol shows promise in reducing agitation in Alzheimer's patients

Researchers develop tools for objective pain measurement in the operating room

Liposomal bupivacaine shows no advantage in postoperative pain management for older adults

Combination treatment improves symptoms of agitated delirium in end-of-life cancer patients

Exploring the role of suvorexant in reducing delirium among older adults

Study confirms safety of high and low oxygen levels for cardiac surgery patients

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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