An Open Trial of Olanzapine for the Treatment of Delirium in Hospitalized Cancer Patients

Breitbart, William; Tremblay, Annie; Gibson, Christopher

doi:10.1176/appi.psy.43.3.175

Cited by 252 publications

(205 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Although the aim is not primarily to sedate the patient, it must be acknowledged that some of the newer or atypical antipsychotics such as olanzapine or risperidone are more likely (in a dose-dependent manner) to cause sedation than haloperidol. Patients with hypoactive delirium have been shown to have a poorer response to olanzapine (67). Patients with hypoactive delirium are often lethargic and somnolent and thus may require non-sedating antipsychotics for distressing symptoms, but not necessarily sedating medications.…”

Section: Pharmacological Intervention With Minimal Sedation Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

End-of-Life Delirium: Issues Regarding Recognition, Optimal Management, and the Role of Sedation in the Dying Phase

Bush

Leonard

Agar

et al. 2014

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

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Context. In end-of-life care, delirium is often not recognized and poses unique management challenges, especially in the case of refractory delirium in the terminal phase.Objectives. To review: delirium in the terminal phase context, specifically in relation to recognition issues; the decision-making processes and management strategies regarding its reversibility; the potential refractoriness of delirium to symptomatic treatment; and the role of sedation in refractory delirium. Methods.We combined multidisciplinary input from delirium researchers and knowledge users at an international delirium study planning meeting and relevant electronic database literature searches (Ovid Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL) to inform this narrative review.Results. The overall management strategy for delirium at the end of life is directed by the patient's prognosis in association with the patient's goals of care. As symptoms of delirium are often refractory in the terminal phase, especially in the case of agitated delirium, the judicious use of palliative sedation is frequently required. However, there remains a lack of high level evidence for the management of delirium in the terminal phase, including the role of antipsychotics and optimal sedation strategies. For the family and health care staff, clear communication, education and emotional support are vital components to assist with decision making and direct the treatment care plan. Conclusion.Further research on the effectiveness of delirium management strategies in the terminal phase for patients and their families is required. Further validation of assessment tools for diagnostic screening and severity measurement are needed in this patient population.

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Section: Pharmacological Intervention With Minimal Sedation Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

End-of-Life Delirium: Issues Regarding Recognition, Optimal Management, and the Role of Sedation in the Dying Phase

Bush

Leonard

Agar

et al. 2014

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

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“…Compared with placebo, olanzapine has been shown to improve delirium severity in one randomized control trial, 156 but its effectiveness may be attenuated in patients who are 70 years and older. 159 Tahir et al performed a double-blinded randomized control trial in 42 delirious patients and observed that patients in the quetiapine arm recovered faster than those who received placebo. 160 In patients with Diffuse Lewis Body dementia or Parkinson's disease, antipsychotic medications should be should be avoided or used with extreme caution.…”

Section: Pharmacologic Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered Mental Status in Older Emergency Department Patients

Wilber

2006

Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America

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SynopsisAltered mental status is a common chief complaint among older emergency department (ED) patients. Acute changes in mental status are more concerning and are usually secondary to delirium, stupor, and coma. These forms of acute brain dysfunction are commonly precipitated by an underlying medical illness that can be potentially life-threatening and are associated with a multitude of adverse outcomes. Though stupor and coma are easily identifiable, the clinical presentation of delirium can be subtle and is often missed without actively screening for it. For patients with acute brain dysfunction, the ED evaluation should focus on searching for the underlying etiology. Infection is one of the most common precipitants of delirium, but multiple etiologies may exist concurrently. Keywordsdelirium; coma; stupor emergency department; epidemiology; diagnosis; management IntroductionAltered mental status is a common chief complaint among older emergency department (ED) patients. Despite the frequency of this complaint, the term "altered mental status" is vague and has several synonyms such as confusion, not acting right, altered behavior, generalized weakness, lethargy, agitation, psychosis, disorientation, inappropriate behavior, inattention, and hallucination. 1 Such lack of standardized terminology not only hinders the assessment and appropriate management of patients with altered mental status, but also the advancement of knowledge through research.Altered mental status has varying time courses and degrees of severity. Acute changes in mental status are usually secondary to delirium, stupor, and coma, which are forms of acute brain dysfunction. These changes occur over a period of hours or days and are usually © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Correspondence to: Jin H. Han, jin.h.han@vanderbilt.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript precipitated by an underlying medical illness that is potentially life threatening. Chronic alterations in mental status (e.g. dementia) occur over a period of months and years and are less likely to be precipitated by a life-threatening illness. 2 For these reasons, acute changes in mental status will be the focus of this review. Altered mental status is rarely caused by psychiatric illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia, and in elder patients, these should be diagnoses of exclusion. Acute brain dysfunction (delirium, stupor, and coma) and their underlying etiology should be ruled out prior to considering any psychiatric d...

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“…There were no differences with respect to age, pre-existing dementia, or brain metastases, except for an increased prevalence of brain cancer, terminal illness, hypoxia, and multiple etiologies in the functionally-impaired. These factors were confounded persistent delirium as has been previously shown 8,24,25 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delirium and functionality: the impact of delirium on the level of functioning

Boettger¹,

Breitbart

Jenewein³

et al. 2014

Eur. J. Psychiat.

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-Background and Objectives: Studies have shown showed that delirium affects the long-term functional status, however, the acute effect of delirium on functioning has been less documented. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the acute impact of delirium on the level of functioning.Methods: All patients were recruited at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) and Karnofsky scale of Performance Status (KPS) were recorded at baseline (T1), 2-3 days (T2) and 4-7 days (T3). A secondary analysis in respect to sociodemographic and medical variables, aspects of delirium, and level of functioning was performed.Results: Delirium severity at baseline did not affect the level of functioning, however, resolved delirium resulted in substantial functional recovery compared to persistent delirium at T2 (30.2 and 23.5) and T3 (35.1 and 26.2). Patients with persistent functional impairment were not different in age, pre-existing dementia or brain metastasis compared to those with functional recovery. However, brain cancer, terminal illness, hypoxia and multiple etiologies caused persistent functional decline. Although delirium severity was not different at baseline, delirium was more severe in the functionally-impaired at T2 and T3. Similarly, delirium resolution was inferior in these patients in contrast to the functionally-recovered at T2 (25% and 65.4%) and T3 (62.5% and 83.3%). On the contrary, the duration of delirium affected functional recovery; shorter delirium predicted faster functional recovery.Conclusions: Delirium caused an acute functional decline and appropriate management of delirium with antipsychotics reversed this decline. On the contrary, shorter duration of delirium was associated with faster functional recovery. Brain cancer, terminal illness, hypoxia, and multiple etiologies were confounders for persistent delirium and functional impairment.

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An Open Trial of Olanzapine for the Treatment of Delirium in Hospitalized Cancer Patients

Cited by 252 publications

References 35 publications

End-of-Life Delirium: Issues Regarding Recognition, Optimal Management, and the Role of Sedation in the Dying Phase

End-of-Life Delirium: Issues Regarding Recognition, Optimal Management, and the Role of Sedation in the Dying Phase

Altered Mental Status in Older Emergency Department Patients

Delirium and functionality: the impact of delirium on the level of functioning

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