Sections

Delirium

Sections Delirium
Overview
Presentation
- History
- Physical
- Causes
- Show All
DDx
Workup
Treatment
Guidelines
Medication
Follow-up
Questions & Answers
Tables
References

Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

Following recovery, patient's memories of events of the delirium are variable. Be sure to educate the patient, family, and primary caregivers about future risk factors.

It is not unusual for patients who are elderly to require 6-8 weeks or longer for full recovery. In particular, elderly patients with postacute care complications are at risk for prolonged and persistent delirium.^[43]

Further Inpatient Care

Carefully assess patients to determine their level of care needs. Assessment should include behavior (24 h), daily mental status, potential for injury, and underlying medical and metabolic status.

Deterrence/Prevention

Prevention should be the goal because delirium is associated with adverse outcomes and high health care costs.

A multicomponent intervention study that targeted cognitive impairment, sleep deprivation, immobility, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and dehydration showed significant reduction in the number and duration of episodes of delirium in older patients who were hospitalized.

Patients who are at high risk for delirium should be monitored closely as outpatients, during hospitalization, and throughout surgical procedures.

Physicians should become familiar with prescribing practices for patients who are elderly, keeping dosages low and avoiding medications that cause delirium.

Monitoring the patient's mental status as a vital sign helps to diagnose delirium early.

Complications

Complications of delirium may include the following:

Malnutrition, fluid and electrolyte abnormalities
Aspiration pneumonia
Pressure ulcers
Weakness, decreased mobility, and decreased function
Falls and combative behavior leading to injuries and fractures
Wandering and getting lost
Long-term cognitive impairment: Accumulating evidence shows that delirium is not only a transient, reversible acute confusion, but also can give rise to a persistent long-term cognitive impairment.^[44]

Prognosis

Delirium significantly worsens prognosis and is associated with increased mortality at discharge and at 12 months. A significant proportion of patients with delirium during their hospital admission continued to demonstrate symptoms of delirium at discharge, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up.^[19]

Resolution of symptoms may take longer in patients with poor premorbid cognitive function, incorrect or incomplete diagnosis of contributing factors, and structural brain diseases treated with large doses of psychoactive medications prior to the onset of acute medical illness.

For some patients, the cognitive effects of delirium may resolve slowly or not at all.

Patient and family education

See the list below:

Educating families and patients regarding the etiology and course of disease is an important role for physicians.
Educate the patient, family, and primary caregivers about future risk factors.
Families may worry that the patient has brain damage or a permanent psychiatric illness. Providing reassurance that delirium often is temporary and is the result of a medical condition may be beneficial to both patients and their families.
Suggest that family members or friends visit the patient, usually one at a time, and provide a calm and structured environment. Encourage them to furnish some familiar objects, such as photos or a favorite blanket, to help reorient the patient and make the patient feel more secure.
Patient and family education materials are available here:
- MedlinePlus: Delirium
- Merck: Delirium

Questions

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Neufeld KJ, Yue J, Robinson TN, Inouye SK, Needham DM. Antipsychotic Medication for Prevention and Treatment of Delirium in Hospitalized Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Apr. 64 (4):705-14. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].
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Tampi RR, Tampi DJ, Ghori AK. Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors for Delirium in Older Adults. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2016 Jun. 31 (4):305-10. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].
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Author

Kannayiram Alagiakrishnan, MD, MBBS, MPH, MHA Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Canada

Kannayiram Alagiakrishnan, MD, MBBS, MPH, MHA is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Chief Editor

Glen L Xiong, MD Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine; Medical Director, Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center

Glen L Xiong, MD is a member of the following medical societies: AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, American College of Physicians, American Psychiatric Association, Central California Psychiatric Society

Disclosure: Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for: SafelyYou, Blue Cross Blue Shield<br/>book co-editor for: Wolter Kluwer, American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.

Additional Contributors

Mohammed A Memon, MD Psychiatrist/Geriatric Psychiatrist, Carolina Center for Behavioral Health; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Mohammed A Memon, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Patricia Blanchette, MD Department Chair and Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, Professor of Geriatric Medicine, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii

Patricia Blanchette, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, American Medical Association, American Medical Directors Association, Gerontological Society of America, and Hawaii Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sections Delirium
Overview
Presentation
- History
- Physical
- Causes
- Show All
DDx
Workup
Treatment
Guidelines
Medication
Follow-up
Questions & Answers
Tables
References

Features	Delirium	Dementia
Onset	Acute	Insidious
Course	Fluctuating	Progressive
Duration	Days to weeks	Months to years
Consciousness	Altered	Clear
Attention	Impaired	Normal, except in severe dementia
Psychomotor changes	Increased or decreased	Often normal
Reversibility	Usually	Rarely

Delirium Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

Further Inpatient Care

Deterrence/Prevention

Complications

Prognosis

Patient Education

Patient and family education

Delirium Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

Further Inpatient Care

Deterrence/Prevention

Complications

Prognosis

Patient Education

Patient and family education

References

Tables

Contributor Information and Disclosures

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