Post-stroke delirium in relation to dementia and long-term mortality.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a frequent post-stroke complication that compromises effective rehabilitation and has been associated with poor outcome. We aimed to investigate whether delirium is associated with increased risk of post-stroke dementia and long-term mortality once confounding is taken into account. METHODS: The study comprised 263 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients aged 55-85 years admitted to the emergency department of a university hospital. The cohort included three-month survivors followed up for 10 years. The diagnosis of post-stroke delirium during the first 7 days after stroke was based on the DSM-IV criteria. FINDINGS: Of all the patients, 50 (19.0%) were diagnosed with delirium. Low education, pre-stroke cognitive decline, and severe stroke indicated by a Modified Rankin score between 3 and 5 were risk factors for post-stroke delirium, which was also associated with diagnosis of dementia at 3 months post-stroke. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, delirium was associated with poor long-term survival (6.1 versus 9.1 years). In the stepwise Cox regression proportional hazards analysis adjusted for demographic factors and risk factors, advanced age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08) and stroke severity (HR 1.83), but not post-stroke delirium, were associated with poor survival. INTERPRETATION: In our well-defined cohort of post-stroke patients, acute stage delirium was diagnosed in one in five patients and associated with dementia at 3 months. Advanced age and stroke severity were related to the higher long-term mortality among patients with post-stroke delirium.

The overlap of delirium with neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To study the frequency of overlapping of delirium with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) among patients with dementia, and to investigate the prognostic value of delirium, multiple NPS without delirium, or neither during a 2-year follow-up. METHODS: We assessed 425 consecutive patients in acute geriatric wards and in seven nursing homes in Helsinki. Those 255 suffering from dementia were examined for NPS of dementia described in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (delusions, hallucinations, agitation/aggression, depression/low mood, anxiety, euphoria/elation, apathy, disinhibition, irritability/mood changes, and aberrant motor behavior) and for delirium criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Patients were categorized into three groups: delirium with or without multiple NPS (delirium group), multiple NPS without delirium (multiple NPS group), or having neither delirium nor multiple NPS (zero or only one NPS group). RESULTS: A total of 66 patients suffered from delirium according to the DSM-IV, 127 had multiple NPS without delirium, and 62 had neither multiple NPS nor delirium. In the delirium group 61 individuals (92.4%) were deceased or residing in permanent institutional care at the end of the 2-year follow up period, compared to 100 individuals (78.7%) in the multiple NPS group and 48 (77.4%) in the zero or one NPS group (Pearson χ² = 6.64, df 2, p = 0.036). In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities, delirium was an independent predictor of this composite outcome (OR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.4-13.6). CONCLUSIONS: Patient groups with symptoms of delirium and multiple NPS are highly overlapping. The presence of delirium indicates poor prognosis.

Effects of Staff Training on Nursing Home Residents' End-Of-Life Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: This trial examines the effects of end-of-life training on long-term care facility (LTCF) residents' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and use and costs of hospital services. DESIGN: A single-blind, cluster randomized (at facility level) controlled trial (RCT). Our training intervention included 4 small-group 4-hour educational sessions on the principles of palliative and end-of-life care (advance care planning, adverse effects of hospitalizations, symptom management, communication, supporting proxies, challenging situations). Training was provided to all members of staff. Education was based on constructive learning methods and included resident cases, role-plays, and small-group discussions. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 324 residents with possible need for end-of-life care due to advanced illness from 20 LTCF wards in Helsinki. METHODS: Primary outcome measures were HRQoL and hospital inpatient days per person-year during a 2-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes were number of emergency department visits and cost of all hospital services. RESULTS: HRQoL according to the 15-Dimensional Health-Related Quality-of-Life Instrument declined in both groups, and no difference was present in the changes between the groups (P for group .75, adjusted for age, sex, do-not-resuscitate orders, need for help, and clustering). Neither the number of hospital inpatient days (1.87 vs 0.81 per person-year) nor the number of emergency department visits differed significantly between intervention and control groups (P for group .41). The total hospital costs were similar in the intervention and control groups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our rigorous RCT on end-of-life care training intervention demonstrated no effects on residents' HRQoL or their use of hospitals. Unsupported training interventions alone might be insufficient to produce meaningful care quality improvements.

Training Staff in Long-Term Care Facilities-Effects on Residents' Symptoms, Psychological Well-Being, and Proxy Satisfaction.

CONTEXT: Long-term care facility (LTCF) residents have unmet needs in end-of-life and symptom care. OBJECTIVES: This study examines the effects of an end-of-life care staff training intervention on LTCF residents' pain, symptoms, and psychological well-being and their proxies' satisfaction with care. METHODS: We report findings from a single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial featuring 324 residents with end-of-life care needs in 20 LTCF wards in Helsinki. The training intervention included four 4-hour educational workshops on palliative care principles (advance care planning, adverse effects of hospitalizations, symptom management, communication, supporting proxies, challenging situations). Training was provided to all members of staff in small groups. Education was based on constructive learning methods and included participants' own resident cases, role-plays, and small-group discussions. During a 12-month follow-up we assessed residents' symptoms with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), pain with the PAINAD instrument and psychological well-being using a PWB questionnaire. Proxies' satisfaction with care was assessed using the SWC-EOLD. RESULTS: The change in ESAS symptom scores from baseline to 6 months favored the intervention group compared with the control group. However, the finding was diluted at 12 months. PAINAD, PWB, and SWC-EOLD scores remained unaffected by the intervention. All follow-up analyses were adjusted for age, gender, do-not-resuscitate order, need for help, and clustering. CONCLUSION: Our rigorous randomized controlled trial on palliative care training intervention demonstrated mild effects on residents' symptoms and no robust effects on psychological well-being or on proxies' satisfaction with care.

The association of the dopamine transporter gene and the dopamine receptor 2 gene with delirium, a meta-analysis.

Delirium is the most common neuropsychiatric syndrome in elderly ill patients. Previously, associations between delirium and the dopamine transporter gene (solute carrier family 6, member 3 (SLC6A3)) and dopamine receptor 2 gene (DRD2) were found. The aim of this study was to validate whether markers of the SLC6A3 and DRD2 genes are were associated with delirium in independent populations. Six European populations collected DNA of older delirious patients. Associations were determined per population and results were combined in a meta-analysis. In total 820 medical inpatients, 185 cardiac surgery patients, 134 non-cardiac surgery patients and 502 population-based elderly subjects were included. Mean age was 82 years (SD 7.5 years), 598 (36%) were male, 665 (41%) had pre-existing cognitive impairment, and 558 (34%) experienced delirium. The SLC6A3 rs393795 homozygous AA genotype was more frequent in patients without delirium in all populations. The meta-analysis showed an Odds Ratio (OR) for delirium of 0.4 (95% confidence interval (C.I.) 0.2-0.6, P = 0.0003) for subjects with AA genotype compared to the AG and GG genotypes. SLC6A3 marker rs1042098 showed no association with delirium. In meta-analysis the DRD2 rs6276 homozygous GG genotype showed an OR of 0.8 for delirium (95% C.I. 0.6-1.1, P = 0.24). When subjects were stratified for cognitive status the rs6276 GG genotype showed ORs of 0.6 (95% C.I. 0.4-1.0, P = 0.06) and 0.8 (95% C.I. 0.5-1.5, P = 0.51) for delirium in patients with and without cognitive impairment, respectively. In independent cohorts, a variation in the SLC6A3 gene and possibly the DRD2 gene were found to protect for delirium.

Multicomponent geriatric intervention for elderly inpatients with delirium: effects on costs and health-related quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The detrimental effects of delirium on functioning and mortality are well known, but health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and costs of care have rarely been investigated among patients with delirium. We studied the effects of multicomponent geriatric treatment on costs of care and HRQoL in delirious inpatients. METHODS: A randomized, controlled trial of 174 inpatients with delirium was performed in an acute geriatric hospital. The intervention was individually tailored geriatric treatment. The HRQoL was measured by the 15D instrument and subjective health by a four-level ordinal scale. Health care costs including intervention costs were calculated for 1 year after the delirium episode. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 83 years; 31% had prior dementia. After the index hospitalization for delirium, a greater proportion in the intervention group than in the control group stated that they felt healthy (71% vs 49%, p =.050). HRQoL deteriorated in both groups as a consequence of delirium. Deterioration was, however, slower in the intervention group (-0.026, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.051 to -0.001) than in the control group (-0.065, 95% CI, -0.09 to -0.040; p =.034). Counting all costs of hospital care, long-term care, skilled home nursing visits, and costs related to intervention, the intervention group used, on average, 19,737 euro during the follow-up year, whereas the respective figure for the control group was 19,557 euro. The difference between the groups was nonsignificant (180 euro [95% CI, -5,006 to 5,064 euro]). CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive geriatric intervention improved HRQoL without increasing overall costs of care.

Defining delirium for the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision.

OBJECTIVE: The development of ICD-11 provides an opportunity to update the description of delirium according to emerging data that have added to our understanding of this complex neuropsychiatric syndrome. METHOD: Synthetic article based on published work considered by the authors to be relevant to the definition of delirium. RESULTS: The current DSM-IV definition of delirium is preferred to the ICD-10 because of its greater inclusivity. Evidence does not support major changes in the principal components of present definitions but a number of key issues for the updated definition were identified. These include better account of non-cognitive features, more guidance for rating contextual diagnostic items, clearer definition regarding the interface with dementia, and accounting for illness severity, clinical subtypes and course. CONCLUSION: Development of the ICD definition of delirium can allow for more targeted research and clinical effort.

Predisposing and precipitating factors for delirium in a frail geriatric population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the possible predisposing aetiologic and short-term precipitating factors for delirium in acutely ill hospital patients with a heavy burden of comorbidities and medications. METHODS: Eighty-seven consecutive patients with acute delirium admitted to a general medicine unit were thoroughly examined, and the predisposing and precipitating factors of their delirium were assessed. RESULTS: In this population, an average of 5.2 predisposing factors and 3.0 potential precipitating factors for delirium was revealed, meaning an average of over eight possible aetiological causes for each patient. The most common precipitating factors were infections (n=72), metabolic abnormalities (n=52), adverse drug effects (n=41), and cardiovascular events (n=38). In addition, a number of very rare conditions were diagnosed after thorough assessments. CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients with acute delirium typically present with several concomitant predisposing factors for delirium exposing them to high vulnerability for the syndrome. In most patients, a number of possible etiological causes for delirium can be identified after a careful assessment, but their true pathogenetic pathway to the syndrome is unclear.

Multicomponent geriatric intervention for elderly inpatients with delirium: a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a common syndrome with poor prognosis affecting elderly inpatients. Treatment is mainly based on common sense with wide variations in practice. We investigated whether intensified, multicomponent geriatric treatment could improve the prognosis of delirious patients. METHODS: We performed a randomized, controlled trial of 174 patients with delirium in six general medicine units from an acute hospital in Helsinki, Finland. The intervention group received individually tailored geriatric treatment. The primary endpoint was the sum of those deceased individuals and the patients permanently institutionalized. Secondary endpoints included the number of days in hospitals and other institutions, delirium intensity, and cognition. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 83 years, and 31% had previous dementia. The intervention group (N = 87) received significantly more acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (58.6% vs 9.2%), atypical antipsychotics (69.8% vs 30.2%), specialist consultations (49.4% vs 28.7%), hip protectors (88.5% vs 3.4%), physiotherapy (87.4% vs 47.1%), and fewer conventional neuroleptics (8.0% vs 23.0%) than did the control group (N = 87). During the 1-year follow-up, 60.9% of the intervention group and 64.4% of controls were either deceased or permanently institutionalized (p =.638). The intervention group spent a mean of 126 days in institutions, and the control group 140 days (p =.688). Delirium was, however, alleviated more rapidly during hospitalization, and cognition improved significantly at 6 months in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Faster alleviation of delirium and improved cognition justify good, comprehensive geriatric care for these patients although treatment produced no significant improvements in hard endpoints of prognosis.

Use of inappropriate medications and their prognostic significance among in-hospital and nursing home patients with and without dementia in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Although the Beers criteria have been frequently utilised to describe the use of inappropriate medications in various elderly populations, less is known about the use of such medications among patients with dementia, and nor have many studies dealt with their impact on mortality or use of healthcare services. This study examines the use of inappropriate drugs and their impact on mortality and use of health services among Finnish elderly nursing home and hospital patients. Patients with dementia were studied as a special subgroup. METHODS: A total of 425 patients consecutively admitted to seven Finnish nursing homes and two hospitals in 1999-2000 were examined. Details of all medications prescribed and administered were retrieved from medical records and coded according to the Beers 1997 criteria. Mortality data as well as days in acute hospital were obtained from central registers and all area hospitals during 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: The entire population was old and frail (mean age 86 years, 82% females), 60% had dementia and 36.2% received at least one potentially inappropriate drug (PID). No differences existed in the proportion of users of PIDs among those 60% of patients with dementia compared with those without. The most common PID was temazepam, with 14% of all patients on high doses. Other commonly used PIDs were oxybutynin and dipyridamole. Amitriptyline was more commonly used among patients without dementia (4.7%) compared with those with dementia (0.8%). Nevertheless, in this very old and frail study population, use of inappropriate drugs did not predict mortality or use of health services. CONCLUSION: Use of PIDs is common in nursing homes and hospitals in Finland but has no impact on mortality or hospital admissions. Use of high-dose temazepam as a hypnotic accounted for most of the high use of PIDs.

Detection and documentation of dementia and delirium in acute geriatric wards.

Detection of cognitive impairment among hospitalized older individuals has shown to be insufficient. A point prevalence study in two geriatric hospitals in Helsinki, Finland, was performed among 219 acutely ill individuals over 70 years to assess the detection of dementia and delirium. Documentation of dementia and delirium in medical records, and recordings of confusional symptoms in nurses' notes were compared with the researchers' diagnosis made after a detailed assessment of cognitive status. The cognitive decline was mentioned in medical records in 70/88 (79.5%) of the cases. Cognitive testing was performed on 42/88 (47.7%) of the dementia patients, and the diagnosis of dementia was recorded in 47/88 (53.4%) of them. A specific etiological diagnosis was recorded in only 4/88 (4.5%) cases. Cognitive impairment in at least one of these four means was recorded in 80/88 (90.9%) of cases (sensitivity 0.93). Eight patients had a false-positive diagnosis of dementia (specificity 0.94). Delirium was diagnosed in 77 (35.2%) patients by the researchers, but it was recorded in only 31/77 (40.3%) in medical records. In 64/77 (83.1%) cases signs of confusion were recorded in nurses' notes. Poor detection and documentation may lead to undertreatment of both disorders.

Apathy: prevalence, associated factors, and prognostic value among frail, older inpatients.

OBJECTIVES: The association of apathy with Alzheimer disease and other dementias and caregiver burden has been examined in a number of studies; however, less is known about its relationship with delirium and mortality. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, relationship with delirium and dementia, and prognostic value of apathy in an elderly and frail inpatient population. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The cohort included 425 patients in acute geriatric wards and in 7 nursing homes in Helsinki (1999-2000). Demographic factors, physical functioning, diagnoses, and drugs were assessed with special reference for dementia, delirium, and apathy. Mortality was registered from central registers. RESULTS: Of the patients, 98 (23.1%) suffered from apathy, and it was more frequent among men (32% versus 21% women, P = .037 ). There was no difference in mean age, number of comorbidities, or in the mean number of medications between those with and without apathy; however, those with apathy had lower mean MMSE points (9.2 versus 14.0 without apathy, P < .001), more often severe dementia according to Clinical Dementia Rating, and higher dependence in activities of daily living (P = .001). Furthermore, patients with apathy were more often suffering from delirium (37.8% versus 21.1%, P ≤ .001). Mortality during the 1-year follow-up was 34.7% (n = 34) and 22.0% (n = 72) among individuals with and without apathy, respectively (P = .011). In the Cox proportional hazard model with age, gender, activities of daily living, and delirium as covariates, apathy significantly predicted mortality (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.89; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Apathy is a common and serious neuropsychiatric symptom associated with cognitive decline, delirium, and disability, and it also independently predicts mortality.

Risk of death associated with use of PPIs in three cohorts of institutionalized older people in Finland.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) explore clinical and demographic characteristics of users and nonusers of PPIs in 3 cohorts of institutionalized older people in Finland, and (2) compare the risk of death associated with use of PPIs in each setting. DESIGN: Cross-sectional assessment of 3 institutionalized cohorts with 1-year follow-up of all-cause mortality. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1389 residents of 69 assisted living facilities (first cohort), 1004 residents of long term care hospitals (second cohort), and 425 residents in acute geriatric wards or in nursing homes (third cohort). MEASUREMENTS: Demographic, drug use, and diagnostic data were collected during structured assessments conducted by trained nurses or geriatricians. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between use of PPIs and mortality. RESULTS: In the assisted living facility, the mortality was 20.2% (n = 74) and 20.4% (n = 208) among users and nonusers of PPIs, respectively (P = 0.94). PPIs were not associated with mortality in unadjusted or adjusted analyses. In the long term care hospitals, use of PPIs was associated with increased mortality (HR, 1.36; 95% CI 1.04-1.77) when adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, use of SSRIs, and malnutrition. In the acute geriatric wards and nursing homes, use of PPIs was associated with increased mortality (HR, 1.90; 95% CI 1.23-2.94) when adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, delirium, and use of aspirin and SSRIs. CONCLUSION: PPIs were not associated with mortality among residents in assisted living facilities, but were associated with increased mortality in settings where residents experienced higher levels of disability and possible susceptibility to adverse drug events.

Neither atypical nor conventional antipsychotics increase mortality or hospital admissions among elderly patients with dementia: a two-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Antipsychotics are widely used to manage behavioral disorders in patients with dementia. Recently, serious concerns have been raised about the stroke and mortality risk of atypical antipsychotics when administered to patients with dementia. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of atypical and conventional antipsychotics on mortality and hospital admissions among Finnish elderly institutionalized patients with dementia in a two-year follow up and to compare their prognosis with that of nonusers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors examined 254 very frail patients with dementia, mean age 86 years, from seven Finnish nursing homes and two hospitals in 1999-2000. Medical records provided information on the use of daily antipsychotic medication; central registers confirmed mortality for up to two years. RESULTS: Nearly one-half (48.4%) of the patients used antipsychotic medication: 37.4% received conventional neuroleptics (N = 95) and 11.0% received atypical antipsychotics (N = 28). The mean number of hospital admissions was higher among the nonusers than among the users of conventional or atypical antipsychotics. Of the users of atypical antipsychotics (risperidone, olanzapine), 32.1% died within 2 years. The respective figures for users of conventional neuroleptics were 45.3%, and for the nonusers, 49.6%. In the Cox proportional hazard model, a high number of medications and the use of physical restraint predicted higher mortality at two years. The use of atypical antipsychotics showed lower risk of mortality, if any. The respective test for conventional antipsychotics was nonsignificant. CONCLUSION: Among these frail and very old patients with dementia, neither the use of atypical antipsychotics nor the use of conventional neuroleptics increased mortality or hospital admissions. The use of restraints, however, doubled the risk of mortality.