Row of lightbulbs with one illuminated bulb in center

Delirium and the Power of Storytelling

Contributed by Heidi Lindroth, PhD RN, T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, Indiana University School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the terror of delirium to the forefront. Featured articles in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and others, have highlighted the enormous […]

Roberta Esteves Vieira de Castro

Brain Basis of Post-Stroke Delirium

Contributed by Roberta Esteves Vieira de Castro, MD, PhD, Rio de Janeiro State University, D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Latin American Delirium Special Interest Group, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Delirium is a frequent and malignant aggravation succeeding stroke1,2, with an estimated occurrence ranging from 2 to 66%3,4. It may be a direct consequence of […]

Namrata Patil

A researcher becomes a patient experiencing delirium

Contributed by Namrata Patil, M.D., M.P.H., Faculty at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston April 2020 I pulled my blanket tighter as I started sipping on my warm tea. All of a sudden, I saw a couple of big ants crawling on the floor. I pulled my legs up before the ants […]

Screening for delirium with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)

Contributed by Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., MPH; Richard N. Jones, ScD; Edward R. Marcantonio, M.D., SM Overview. The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) was published in 19901 in a highly cited article in the Annals of Internal Medicine as the first brief, standardized method for identification of delirium at the bedside. It provided a standardized rating […]