Published papers

Objective: Although antipsychotics are used commonly for delirium, they increase the risk of mortality in elderly patients and those with dementia. As hydroxyzine has sedative and anxiolytic effects, it can be used in the treatment of delirium. We performed a retrospective study to compare the effects of intravenous hydroxyzine and haloperidol monotherapy on delirium. Methods: Patients who admitted to a university hospital from April 1, 2017, to September 30, 2022, and received either hydroxyzine or haloperidol intravenously as monotherapy for the treatment of delirium were included. The time to and rate of delirium improvement were compared. Improvement of delirium was defined as negative on the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) or Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) for 3 consecutive days. Results: Among 5,555 patients who developed delirium, 71 (1.3%) and 82 (1.5%) received intravenous hydroxyzine and haloperidol monotherapy, respectively. The time to delirium improvement was 7.0 days (95% CI, 5.7–8.3 days) for hydroxyzine and 8.2 days (95% CI, 7.6–8.8 days) for haloperidol, with no significant difference between the two groups (P= .059). On the other hand, the rate of delirium improvement was 23.9% for hydroxyzine and 8.5% for haloperidol, with a significant difference in favor of the hydroxyzine group (P = .009). Conclusions: We first showed that intravenous hydroxyzine monotherapy was not inferior for the time to delirium improvement and superior for the rate of delirium improvement to intravenous haloperidol monotherapy. Considering that hydroxyzine is relatively safe with few side effects, it can be a viable option for delirium as an alternative to antipsychotics.

Objectives: Treatment decisions for severe aortic stenosis (AS) are complex, since there are two active and comparable options: transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement. The disease predominantly affects older individuals, who are frequently comorbid with from cognitive impairment. This study aimed to establish a screening-triggered system to assess the decision-making capacity of patients with AS, support their decision-making, and facilitate referrals to specialists when necessary. Methods: This is a retrospective pre-post observational study. Relevant healthcare professionals were trained to assess and support patients' decision-making capacities. Results: Subtotals of 203 and 244 patients were enrolled before and after the implementation of the system, respectively. The requests for decision-making support significantly increased (from 1.5 % to 14.8 % of the patients). 11.5 % of the patients were identified as with declined decision-making capacity. The proportion of patients who received active treatments for AS significantly decreased from 95.0 % to 83.0 %. The nurses' documentation of patients' decision-making capacities significantly increased. Conclusion: This screening-triggered system identified a substantial proportion of patients with declined decision-making capacity. A significant decrease in patients receiving active treatments for AS and increased documentation of patients' decision-making capacities in nursing records were observed. A future randomized controlled is warranted.

Background Although antipsychotics are commonly used for delirium, their adverse effects are a serious concern in light of extrapyramidal symptoms and cardiovascular disturbances. In clinical practice, sedative antidepressants are frequently used as an alternative treatment for delirium; however, there is scarce evidence. Thus, we conducted a retrospective chart review to examine the use and effectiveness of trazodone and mianserin for delirium. Methods Patients who were admitted to a university hospital during 4 years and received either trazodone or mianserin on a regular schedule as monotherapy for the treatment of delirium were included. The rates of and times to the improvement of delirium were compared. Results Among 3971 patients who developed delirium, 379 (9.5%) and 341 (8.6%) patients received trazodone and mianserin on a regular schedule; 52 and 46 patients met the eligibility criteria (ie, monotherapy) for trazodone and mianserin, respectively. The percentages of patients 65 years or older were 86.5% (n=45) for trazodone and 89.1% (n=41) for mianserin. The rates of the improvement of delirium were 63.5% for trazodone and 50.0% for mianserin. Times to the improvement of delirium were 5.3 days (95% confidence interval, 3.2-7.4 days) for trazodone and 9.3 days (95% confidence interval, 5.3-13.3 days) for mianserin. There were no significant differences in the primary outcomes between the 2 groups (P=0.17 and P=0.13, respectively). Conclusion Considering potentially serious, sometimes lethal, adverse effects of antipsychotics, sedative antidepressants such as trazodone and mianserin may be a treatment option for delirium, especially in the elderly.