Contributed by Olga Boukrina, PhD, Research Scientist, Stroke Rehabilitation Research at The Kessler Foundation Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers an objective and quantitative measurement of brain health. The progress in MR imaging has made it possible to not only accurately measure brain volume, but also to assess the integrity of white matter connections in the […]
Contributed by Madeline D’Aquila, BS, Clinical Research Associate II & Annie Racine, PhD, MPA, both of the Institute for Aging Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Although successful programs¹ to prevent delirium have been developed and implemented, advances in new prevention or treatment approaches have been stymied by a poor understanding of delirium pathophysiology. Neuroimaging […]
Contributed by Namrata Patil, MD MPH of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Faculty at Harvard Medical School, Boston. “Doctor, is he still like that? If he is still the same I am not coming in….,” her voice cracks as she breaks into sobs on the other side of the phone. My patient’s wife does […]
This post was contributed by Heidi Lindroth, PhD Candidate, RN, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Anesthesiology School of Nursing. “…My eyes were open, but what they saw was not real. My delirium was filled with paranoia, fright and joy. In the ICU, I just knew I heard my […]
This post was contributed by Heidi Lindroth, PhD Candidate, RN, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Anesthesiology School of Nursing. Let’s ring in the New Year 2018 with a review of research from 2017 focused on delirium prevention. Often, when I talk to others about the confusion and distress experienced by […]
Post contributed by A.M. Barrett, Kessler Foundation Bill hasn’t been himself, and his family is very concerned. A retired professor, Bill seemed to do very well after his stroke, and was in good spirits and clearly on the road to recovery during the first two days of his hospitalization on a stroke unit. On the […]
This post was contributed by Vanja Douglas, MD, and Stephanie Rogers, MD, both of the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Delirium is increasingly being recognized as a potential area of hospital quality measurement. In several ways, delirium represents an ideal quality metric because standardization of care in this area is likely to […]
Mary’s 86-year-old mother Eileen has been living with her and her family for the past two years. Eileen is a widow with mild dementia. She is pleasant, communicative, and able to perform simple ADLs. Mary’s husband and her adult children help provide support, while Mary provides most of the caregiving tasks. Last week Eileen […]
The differences between delirium and dementia can be difficult to spot. If an elderly man with Alzheimer’s disease tends to become confused or agitated in the evening (a condition often known as “sundowning”¹) is his behavior dementia- or delirium-related? Moreover, what are the biological bases that differ between delirium and dementia? New research published in […]