Incidence and risk factors of delirium in the elderly general surgical patient

Background

This study evaluates the incidence of delirium and risk factors associated with delirium in elderly patients admitted to a general surgical ward.

Methods

Patients aged over 60 years who were admitted with an acute or elective general surgical diagnosis were eligible for this prospective cohort study. Risk factors associated with delirium were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis to identify those independently associated with delirium.

Results

A total of 209 patients were included in the study. The incidence of delirium was 16.9% (23.2% for acute admission, P < .001). Variables associated with delirium were dementia, presence of an urinary catheter, cognitive decline at admission measured with the mini-mental state examination, white blood cell count >10.0 × 10⁹/L, and urea >7.5 mmol/L. Median length of hospital stay was 13 days (range 3–85) for patients with delirium versus 7 (range 1–54) for patients without (P = .002).

Conclusions

The incidence of delirium is high in elderly patients, especially after an acute admission, leading to an increase in length of hospital stay. To minimize delirium, associated risk factors must be identified and, if possible, treated.     

EANM practice guideline/SNMMI procedure standard for dopaminergic imaging in Parkinsonian syndromes 1.0

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging - This joint practice guideline or procedure standard was developed collaboratively by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM)...     

The P2X7 receptor tracer [11C]SMW139 as an in vivo marker of neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis: a first-in man study

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging - The novel PET tracer [11C]SMW139 binds with high affinity to the P2X7 receptor, which is expressed on pro-inflammatory microglia. The...     

Microglial activation in Alzheimer's disease: an (R)-[C]PK11195 positron emission tomography study

Inflammatory mechanisms, like microglial activation, could be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). (R)-[¹¹C]PK11195 (1-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-methyl-N-1(1-methylpropyl)-3-isoquinolinecarboxamide), a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand, can be used to quantify microglial activation in vivo. The purpose of this study was to assess whether increased (R)-[¹¹C]PK11195 binding is present in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), currently also known as “prodromal AD.”