Revue médicale suisse
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Revue médicale suisse · Oct 2007
[Acute confusional episode--delirium in elderly patients. Definition, etiology and treatment].
Delirium, (acute confusional episode in European nomenclature) frequently occurs to elderly patients. This confusional condition is characterized by a sudden beginning and fluctuating clinical manifestations. ⋯ Generally transient and reversible, confusional state remains a medical emergency, motivating numerous consilium and psychiatric admissions. On the base of a case report, we aim to recall the high frequency of this affection in a somatic context and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.
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In the last fifteen years, procalcitonin measurement has been evaluated as a rapid diagnostic aid for suspected infection. Procalcitonin is now widely used in any febrile patient despite the lack of evidence supporting that practice. ⋯ Procalcitonin has been assessed in the emergency department in patients with lower respiratory tract infections and in patients admitted for an acute febrile illness. Results are encouraging but preliminary, therefore procalcitonine measurement should be restricted to patients with criteria of severe infection for the time being.