Delirium is associated with many negative health outcomes. Background: Postoperative sedation and opioid administration may contribute to delirium. We hypothesize that the use of dexmedetomidine and Intravenous acetaminophen (IVA) may lead to reduced opioid consumption and decreased incidence of postoperative delirium. This pilot study aims to assess feasibility of using dexmedetomidine and IVA...

BACKGROUND Postoperative delirium in the elderly, measured days after surgery, is associated with significant negative clinical outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and in-hospital outcomes of delirium diagnosed immediately after general anesthesia and surgery in elderly patients. METHODS Consecutive English-speaking surgical candidates, aged 70 years or older, were prospectiv...

BACKGROUND Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome frequently observed in elderly hospitalised patients and can be found in any medical condition. Due to the severe consequences, early recognition of delirium is important in order to start treatment in time. Despite the high incidence rate, the occurrence of delirium is not always identified as such. Knowledge of potential risk factors is impor...

INTRODUCTION Delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Using an assessment tool has been shown to improve the ability of clinicians in the ICU to detect delirium. The confusion assessment method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) is a validated delirium-screening tool for critically ill intubated patients. The aim of this project was to establish the fea...

Postoperative delirium is a serious complication following hip surgery in elderly patients that can adversely affect outcomes in both hip fracture and arthroplasty surgery. Recently, the incidence of hip fracture in the Medicare population was estimated at approximately 500 000 patients per year, with the majority treated surgically. The annual volume of total hip arthroplasty is nearly 450 000...

BACKGROUND Delirium is a common syndrome in terminal cancer patients. However, its detection and treatment by palliative care teams are not well documented. This survey aimed to determine the prevalence, detection and treatment of delirium in terminal cancer inpatients. METHODS The survey was conducted in Mackay Hospice and Palliative Care Center, Taiwan, from August 2006 to January 2007. All...

INTRODUCTION Delirium is common in hospitalized geriatric patients with hip fractures. A number of peri-operative predisposing and postoperative precipitating factors have been identified in Western literature but data regarding this problem within the Indian context is scarce. METHOD The objectives of the study were to ascertain the incidence of delirium in geriatric patients admitted for th...

INTRODUCTION The pathophysiology of sepsis-associated delirium is not completely understood and the data on cerebral perfusion in sepsis are conflicting. We tested the hypothesis that cerebral perfusion and selected serum markers of inflammation and delirium differ in septic patients with and without sepsis-associated delirium. METHODS We investigated 23 adult patients with sepsis, severe sep...

BACKGROUND Delirium has been hypothesized to be a central nervous system response to systemic inflammation during a state of blood-brain barrier compromise. The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative changes in groups of inflammatory markers in persons who developed delirium following cardiac surgery and matched controls without delirium. METHODS Serum samples were drawn from 42 p...

BACKGROUND Research indicates that 40% of hospital-acquired delirium cases may be preventable. However, despite its clinical significance, delirium often goes unrecognized or is misdiagnosed. The purpose of this study was to assess the need for delirium education in acute care hospitals in Hamilton, Ontario. METHODS Approximately 100 health professionals were trained as delirium screeners. On...