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.

As foundation for ‘excited delirium’ diagnosis cracks, fallout spreads

When Angelo Quinto's family learned that officials blamed his 2020 death on "excited delirium," a term they had never heard before, they couldn't believe it. To them, it was obvious the science behind the diagnosis wasn't real.

13 Dec 2023

Simple eye test spots patients at risk for postoperative cognitive dysfunction

Identifying an older patient who is at risk for post-operative cognitive dysfunction might be done in the blink of an eye – literally.

12 Dec 2023

New decision rule can reduce unnecessary head CT scans in older adults after falls

How do emergency department staff determine whether older adults who have fallen need imaging? A new decision rule will help emergency department physicians determine which older adults need imaging for head injuries, describes new research in CMAJ.

4 Dec 2023

Researchers develop a new early alert model for pandemic predictions in Germany

An early alert indicator and trend forecasting model for pandemic situations in Germany.

29 Nov 2023

Two 'big gun' antibiotics may be safer for the kidneys than previously thought

Two 'big gun' antibiotics thought to cause kidney failure in ICU patients with a severe bacterial infection, especially when combined with another antibiotic, may be safer for the kidneys than previously reported, following a randomized trial led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

16 Oct 2023

Doctors abandon a diagnosis used to justify police custody deaths. It might live on, anyway.

Brooks Walsh hadn't questioned whether "excited delirium syndrome" was a legitimate medical diagnosis before the high-profile police killings of Elijah McClain in Colorado in 2019 and George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020.

16 Oct 2023

Virtual reality can help calm caregivers of surgery-bound children

Virtual reality (VR) may be an effective and reliable tool to alleviate the anxiety experienced by most parents or caregivers when their child undergoes surgery, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 annual meeting.

15 Oct 2023

California bans controversial ‘excited delirium’ diagnosis

California is the first state to ban doctors and medical examiners from attributing deaths to the controversial diagnosis known as "excited delirium," which a human rights activist hailed as a "watershed moment" that could make it harder for police to justify excessive force.

12 Oct 2023

Total hip arthroplasty in nonagenarians: Risks and benefits

Potentially modifiable comorbid conditions and complications have a major impact on the risks of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for people in their nineties, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

25 Aug 2023

Study explores risk factors for postoperative delirium

A new study aimed to investigate the risk factors and incidence rates of postoperative delirium in elderly and middle-aged patients with fractures.

15 Aug 2023

Tracking brain wave signatures could reduce the risk of postoperative brain dysfunction

When patients undergo general anesthesia, their brain activity often slows down as they sink into unconsciousness.

17 Jul 2023

$Significant variations in healthcare spending and care delivery found across NHS hospitals following hip fracture$

Significant variations in healthcare spending and care delivery found across NHS hospitals following hip fracture

There are significant variations in healthcare spending and care delivery across NHS hospitals in England and Wales following hip fracture, a new study aimed at understanding how hospital care impacts patients' outcomes and costs has revealed.

10 Jul 2023

New oral films could revolutionize drug delivery for patients

Conventional ways of administering medication - by swallowing tablets, consuming bitter syrups, injections or rectal insertions - could be distressing and unpleasant for some patients, especially young children or the elderly.

3 Jul 2023

AEM systematic review provides new insights into head imaging abnormalities in patients with acute delirium

Older adults who come to the Emergency Department (ED) with altered mental status (AMS), delirium, or confusion are more likely to have an acutely abnormal finding on computed tomography (CT) if they have a focal neurological deficit.

30 Jun 2023

New study reveals alarming cognitive impairments in long COVID patients

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms can lead to cognitive deficits in recovered patients. This systematic review highlights the need for further research and interventions to address long-term cognitive impairments.

28 Jun 2023

Accepting artificial intelligence: barriers and facilitators influencing healthcare professionals' acceptance of AI in the hospital setting

Researchers investigated the factors that hinder or promote healthcare professionals' acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals.

13 Jun 2023

Medical cannabis soothes cancer pain

Study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis in reducing pain and concurrent medications in patients with cancer. The results suggest that medical cannabis is a safe and effective complementary treatment for pain relief in patients with cancer.

4 May 2023

A scientific statement from the American Heart and Stroke Association on the prevalence, diagnosis, and management of poststroke cognitive impairment

Researchers reviewed the incidence, prevalence, diagnosis, and management of post-stroke cognitive impairment.

3 May 2023

Study examines whether alcohol-associated burn injuries impair cognitive function

The relationship between alcohol use and burn injuries is a negative one in multiple ways. Not only are about 50% of adults who sustain burn injuries intoxicated at the time of injury, suggesting that alcohol use may have contributed to the incident, but alcohol use among burn-injured patients is associated with more severe complications, delayed recovery, and increased morbidity and mortality.

10 Apr 2023

Study suggests potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19-related neurological pathologies

In a recent study published in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, researchers analyzed the proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from African green monkeys and rhesus macaques infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 to understand the neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

9 Apr 2023