OBJECTIVE Delirium is associated with poor outcomes following acute hospitalization. A specialized delirium management unit, the Geriatric Monitoring Unit (GMU), was established. Evening bright light therapy (2000-3000 lux; 6-10 pm daily) was added as adjunctive treatment, to consolidate circadian activity rhythms and improve sleep. This study examined whether the GMU program improved sleep, co...

Background recognition of prevalent delirium and prediction of incident delirium may be difficult at first assessment. We therefore aimed to validate a pragmatic delirium susceptibility (for any, prevalent and incident delirium) score for use in front-line clinical practice in a consecutive cohort of older acute medicine patients. Methods consecutive patients aged ≥65 years over two 8-week pe...

OBJECTIVE to examine the effect of a multi-component, delirium prevention intervention on rates of incident delirium for patients admitted to specialist elderly care wards. DESIGN 'before' and 'after' study. SETTING three specialist elderly care wards in a general hospital. SUBJECTS older people admitted as emergencies. METHODS a multi-component delirium prevention intervention that tar...

Delirium is a common disorder associated with poor prognosis, especially in the elderly. The impact of different treatment approaches for delirium on morbimortality and long-term welfare is not completely understood. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments in elderly patients with delirium. METHODS This systematic review compared pharmacolog...

BACKGROUND There are still substantial uncertainties over best practice in delirium care. The European Delirium Association (EDA) conducted a survey of its members and other interested parties on various aspects of delirium care. METHODS The invitation to participate in the online survey was distributed among the EDA membership. The survey covered assessment, treatment of hyperactive and hypo...

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...

BACKGROUND Delirium affects 15% of hospitalised patients and is linked with poor outcomes, yet few pharmacological treatment options exist. One hypothesis is that delirium may in part result from exaggerated and/or prolonged stress responses. Dexmedetomidine, a parenterally-administered alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonist which attenuates sympathetic nervous system activity, shows promise as tre...

AIM Data from Western countries suggest that delirium is associated with a high rate of mortality; however, the mortality rate in patients with delirium in India has not been studied. The aim of this study is to determine the mortality rate among a group of hospitalized patients with delirium 6 months after being diagnosed with delirium. METHODOLOGY The study included 97 patients with deliriu...