Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Delirium occurs frequently in hospitalized patients and is reported to occur at a rate of 10% to 40% in hospitalized elderly patients. The gold standard of treatment is to treat the underlying cause of delirium and use high-potency antipsychotics such as haloperidol to target the behavioral disturbances. Since the development of atypical antipsychotics, many psychiatric conditions that were previously only treatable using high-potency antipsychotics may now be managed with the atypical agents. This review will examine the current literature on atypical antipsychotics and summarize the results from published trials in order to evaluate the efficacy and potential benefits of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of delirium in the elderly population. ⋯ A review of current literature supports the conclusion that atypical antipsychotic medications demonstrate similar rates of efficacy as haloperidol for the treatment of delirium in the elderly patient, with a lower rate of extrapyramidal side effects. There is limited evidence of true efficacy, since no double-blind placebo trials exist.
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This study investigates the cognitive, functional, and clinical variables associated with the risk of institutionalization, rehospitalization, and death at 12 months among a population of elderly discharged from a Rehabilitation and Aged Care Unit (RACU) within a 1-year period (May 1, 2004 to April 30, 2005). The RACU is a relatively new setting of care providing intensive rehabilitation and clinical support to elderly with highly heterogeneous reasons for admission. ⋯ Variables related to the sociodemographic, cognitive, functional, and health status predicted, with different degree of association, the 12-month risk of institutionalization, rehospitalization, and death among a population of elderly patients discharged from a RACU. Accordingly, various clinical and organizational approaches may be planned for prevention.