An open trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in hospitalized cancer patients Journal Article
| Authors: | Breitbart, W.; Tremblay, A.; Gibson, C. |
| Article Title: | An open trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in hospitalized cancer patients |
| Abstract: | We conducted an open, prospective trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in a sample of 79 hospitalized cancer patients. Patients all met DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of delirium and were rated systematically with the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) as a measure of delirium severity, phenomenology, and resolution, over the course of a 7-day treatment period. Sociodemographic and medical variables and measures of physical performance status and drug-related side effects were collected. Fifty-seven patients (76%) had complete resolution of their delirium on olanzapine therapy. No patients experienced extrapyramidal side effects; however, 30% experienced sedation (usually not severe enough to interrupt treatment). Several factors were found to be significantly associated with poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium, including age >70 years, history of dementia, central nervous system spread of cancer and hypoxia as delirium etiologies, "hypoactive" delirium, and delirium of "severe" intensity (i.e., MDAS >23). A logistic-regression model suggests that age >70 years is the most powerful predictor of poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium (odds ratio, 171.5). Olanzapine appears to be a clinically efficacious and safe drug for the treatment of the symptoms of delirium in the hospitalized medically ill. |
| Keywords: | adult; controlled study; aged; aged, 80 and over; middle aged; major clinical study; drowsiness; drug efficacy; drug safety; cancer patient; prospective studies; neoplasms; nausea; logistic models; olanzapine; delirium; extrapyramidal symptom; risk factors; risk factor; pruritus; rash; severity of illness index; rating scale; chi-square distribution; headache; logistic regression analysis; analysis of variance; visual impairment; vertigo; inpatients; memorial delirium assessment scale; antipsychotic agents; benzodiazepines; stomach pain; humans; prognosis; human; male; female; article; pirenzepine |
| Journal Title: | Psychosomatics |
| Volume: | 43 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| ISSN: | 0033-3182 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier Science, Inc. |
| Date Published: | 2002-05-01 |
| Start Page: | 175 |
| End Page: | 182 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1176/appi.psy.43.3.175 |
| PUBMED: | 12075032 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Export Date: 14 November 2014 -- Source: Scopus |
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
Related MSK Work