Delirium and Dying

Delirium and dying.

There is a terrible poignancy to the delirium experienced by a person who is dying. For those who love that person, and likely for the dying individuals themselves, there can be a sense of opportunity lost, of having left too soon. This is not an isolated phenomenon: Case series show that many, even most, patients who die of advanced cancer experience delirium (Gagnon et al., 2000; Jenkins et a...

End-of-life delirium: issues regarding recognition, optimal management, and the role of sedation in the dying phase.

CONTEXT In end-of-life care, delirium is often not recognized and poses unique management challenges, especially in the case of refractory delirium in the terminal phase. OBJECTIVES To review delirium in the terminal phase context, specifically in relation to recognition issues; the decision-making processes and management strategies regarding its reversibility; the potential refractoriness o...

Dying

Professor Hinton is a psychiatrist who has made careful studies of the reactions of dying people, the awareness they have that they are dying, and the ways in which their doctors and nurses may help to bring them solace. His original work is deservedly much esteemed. It has lost nothing by presentation in this volume together with additional information on the circumstances, customs and attitud...

Delirium.

This article identifies the importance of delirium in general medical practice. Recent revisions in the diagnostic criteria for delirium are discussed, and the epidemiology of delirium is summarized, including the incidence and prevalence, risk factors, origins, course, and outcomes. Studies of the pathophysiological features of delirium are reviewed and recommendations are made for treatment o...

Doctors, death and dying.