Palliative care for delirium in patients in the last weeks of life: the final frontier

Terminal delirium is defined as irreversible delirium that occurs during the last days of life and continues until death. In a recent study of patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit (APCU), the proportion of patients with a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) sc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of palliative care 2014-12, Vol.30 (4), p.259-264
Main Authors: Hui, David, De La Cruz, Maxine, Bruera, Eduardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Delirium
Delirium - physiopathology
Delirium - therapy
Humans
Inpatient care
Medical treatment
Palliative Care
Studies
Terminal Care
Terminally Ill
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Summary:Terminal delirium is defined as irreversible delirium that occurs during the last days of life and continues until death. In a recent study of patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit (APCU), the proportion of patients with a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score of -2 or less (that is, an im - paired level of consciousness) increased from 45 percent one week before death to 90 percent on the day of death (22, 23).
ISSN:0825-8597
2369-5293
DOI:10.1177/082585971403000403