Delirium Flashcards
what are the portions of delirium?
disturbance in attention/awareness
disturbance in cognition
what must be present for a patient to be diagnosed with delirium?
evidence of medical condition, substance intoxication/withdrawal, or medication side effect
an underlying cause
delirium = ___ _____ ____ = _____
acute confusional state
encephalopathy
in which patients is delirium typically present in?
inpatient settings/sick patients
what can reverse delirium?
cholinesterase inhibitors (physostigmine)
what underlying brain disease is the largest risk factor for delirium?
dementia
what are 6 symptoms a patient with delirium may present with?
distractibility
tangential/disorganized speech
drowsy
decrease in cognition
perceptual disturbance
language difficulties
what symptom will be present in a patient that is going through alcohol or sedative drug withdrawl?
hypervigilance
what is the onset of delirium?
acute
what are the 4 criteria in which a patient with delirium would not need neuroimaging?
obvious treatable illness
no evidence of trauma
no new focal neuro signs
arousable and follows simple commands
what should be ordered if a patient’s delirium has an unknown cause OR if the patient doesn’t improve as expected following treatment of known cause?
Head CT
a patient’s head CT is negative. what should be ordered next? why?
MRI head
acute ischemic stroke, lesions
what diagnostic is manadatory if the cause of delirium is unknown, especially if the patient is febrile?
LP
what diagnostic can be used to exlude seizures as a cause and can confirm the diagnosis of metabolic or infectious encephalopathies?
EEG
characterized by thiamine deficiency
wernicke encephalopathy
