Delirium diagnosis decreases likelihood of home discharge, study finds
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 23, 2022
The odds of returning home after a hospital stay are slimmer for patients with delirium compared to those without, according to a new study of more than 27,000 adults. Nearly half were not able to do so.
Delirium present in 60 percent of residents’ acute illnesses, but tricky to diagnosis: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 15, 2021
Delirium may accompany 60% of the acute illnesses and adverse health events that occur commonly among residents, investigators say. Along with infections, regular use of benzodiazepines was linked to the...
Dehydration plagues nursing home residents with COVID in facility study
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 16, 2021
Clinically significant dehydration is very common among residents with COVID-19 — especially those with dementia or delirium, investigators found. Care providers should be ready with IV fluids and a...
Clinical briefs for Thursday, May 6
By
Alicia Lasek
May 06, 2021
Long-term care pharmacies call for inclusion in Provider Relief Fund … Clinically vulnerable elders at greater risk of deterioration during pandemic: study … Op-ed: FDA’s ‘abundance of caution’...
Delirium a stand-out coronavirus symptom in people with dementia
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 06, 2021
People with dementia are not more likely than their same-age peers to develop severe COVID-19 or die from the disease — but they are more likely to experience delirium, according to a new study.
Top geriatrician endorses creative steps to reduce delirium due to COVID
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 18, 2021
Early steps must be taken to detect and address delirium in older adults with COVID-19, says physician and researcher Sharon Inouye, M.D., MPH. Delirium is not included in the CDC’s case report criteria...
What emergency docs see: Delirium signals COVID in older patients
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 23, 2020
Almost a third of older emergency department patients who were subsequently diagnosed with COVID had delirium at admission, investigators say. And many had no other COVID symptoms, such as cough or fever.
Vitamin D levels predict delirium risk in hospitalized seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 07, 2020
Seniors with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency face an increased risk for hospital‐diagnosed delirium — a problem that’s relatively easy to correct, investigators say.
Delirium a telltale sign of COVID in frail older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 30, 2020
Clinicians should keep in mind that delirium is an early warning sign of COVID-19 in frail, elderly adults — even when cough, fever and other classic signs are absent, physician researchers say.
Mental health risk is low in coronavirus, but long-term delirium may occur
By
Alicia Lasek
May 19, 2020
An analysis of mental health outcomes from past SARS and MERS outbreaks may offer useful predictions about coronavirus outcomes for clinicians, say British researchers.