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.

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

Forest Laboratories, Pierre Fabre Laboratories announce that FETZIMA gets FDA approval for MDD

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Pierre Fabre Laboratories announced today that FETZIMA (levomilnacipran extended-release capsules), a once-daily serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, discovered by Pierre Fabre Laboratories and co-developed by Forest Laboratories, Inc. was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adults.

26 Jul 2013

Nearly 1/2 of older adults undergoing surgery with general anesthesia have delirium in PACU

Close to half of older adults undergoing surgery with general anesthesia are found to have delirium in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

25 Jul 2013

Wake Forest Baptist to extend innovation in geriatrics education with new GPS program

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will maintain its position as a leader in geriatric medicine and medical training with continued grant funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

3 Jul 2013

New research suggests that listening to music lowers anxiety, sedation in ventilated patients

New research suggests that for some hospitalized ICU patients on mechanical ventilators, using headphones to listen to their favorite types of music could lower anxiety and reduce their need for sedative medications.

21 May 2013

AACN selects seven Pennsylvania hospitals to participate in nurse leadership training program

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses selects seven Pennsylvania hospitals as the newest participants in its hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program.

30 Mar 2013

Study suggests more accurate way to monitor patient awareness during general anesthesia

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have identified specific EEG signatures that indicate when patients lose and regain consciousness under the general anesthetic drug propofol.

7 Mar 2013

One in three ventilated people with ALI shows substantial PTSD symptoms

One in three people who survived stays in an intensive care unit (ICU) and required use of a mechanical ventilator showed substantial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that lasted for up to two years, according to a new Johns Hopkins study of patients with acute lung injury.

26 Feb 2013

Simple interventions could reduce delirium and improve patient perceptions about sleep quality

A hospital is not the best place to get a good night's sleep, especially in a noisy intensive care unit. It's a cause for concern because studies have shown that a lack of sleep can cause patients to experience delirium-an altered mental state that may delay their recovery and lead to short and long-term confusion and memory problems.

21 Feb 2013

Delirium overlooked in hospital patients

Delirium occurs in about one in five inpatients, but appears to be a low priority with hospital staff, research suggests.

4 Feb 2013