Clinical Research Directory

Researching Efficient Approaches to Delirium Identification-Sustaining Effective Translation

The goal of this step-wedge trial is to test the implementation of daily nurse screening for delirium in routine care and its impact on outcomes and complications in hospitalized older adults admitted to 6 general medicine/surgery units at 3 hospitals in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * 1\. To test the fidelity, accuracy, and durability of implementing daily nurse screening for delirium using the UB-CAM in routine care. * 2\. To evaluate the impact of UB-CAM delirium screening on patient and care partner centered outcomes assessed at one month follow-up interviews 3. To evaluate the impact of UB-CAM screening on rates of delirium complications (falls, pressure injury, aspiration) and adverse delirium management (psychoactive medication use, restraint use). Participants (patients) will be assessed for delirium on study days 1, 2 and 3 (or until hospital discharge) and will be asked basic demographics. These patients will be contacted by phone 1 month after enrollment to collect information about inpatient facility use and to administer the Delirium Burden Patient Scale. Participants (care partners) will be interviewed at the patient's discharge to complete the Alzheimer's Disease-8 scale. These care partners will be contacted by phone 1 month after enrollment to complete the Delirium Burden Caregiver Scale and to complete a Qualitative Interview which includes questions about communication and collaboration.

Using EMR Data and AI to Develop a Passive Digital Marker to Predict Postoperative Delirium

This study will be a pilot randomized controlled trial that will determine the effect of an indicator of delirium risk, which will be delivered either via a paper form or via the electronic medical record, on (1)postoperative delirium incidence; and (2)the development of long term cognitive decline and dementia.

PANDORA: Delirium Prevention After Cardiac Surgery Using IV Acetaminophen to Prevent Postoperative Delirium in Older Cardiac Surgical Patients

Our objective is to find an effective prophylactic intervention by evaluating IV acetaminophen's impact in reducing the frequency of postoperative delirium, one of the most common and detrimental complications of cardiac surgery in older adults.

Quality Contract: Prevention of Postoperative Delirium in the Care of Older Patients (QV-POD-2)

The project "QV-POD-2" is a prolongation based on "QV-POD-1", which was a quality contract program of the IQTIG - Institute for Quality and Transparency in Health Care. The aim is to improve inpatient care for older patients who are undergoing inpatient surgery and thus to specifically reduce the postoperative risk of delirium. This is achieved through the implementation of evidence-based and consensus-based measures to prevent postoperative delirium in a comprehensive structured concept in routine care. The transparent documentation in an electronic patient file enables the relationships between the symptoms to be depicted in accordance with the clinical circumstances and the genesis of the postoperative delirium to be recorded and treated at an early stage. The content of the additional elements from the routine data (see primary and secondary outcome measures) in QV-POD-2 is analysed internally. Subproject Retro-Pressure started in August 2022: Retrospective, exploratory cohort study using electronic anesthesia and hospital records from Jan 1, 2016 to Jan 1, 2020, including patients ≥70 years undergoing surgery with anesthesia. The objective is to quantify associations between intraoperative blood pressure dynamics-variability, rate of change, relative hypo-/hypertension versus baseline, and time-integrated BP (area under/above reference)-and postoperative organ dysfunction Primary endpoints: Emergence delirium incidence (PACU/ITS) based on Nu-DESC scores and CAM-ICU scores; incidence of postoperative acute renal failure (creatinine and urea levels, as well as urine output); intraoperative blood pressure variation\*; intraoperative blood pressure variation rate\*; intraoperative blood pressure integral\* Secondary endpoints: Blood count (hemoglobin and hematocrit values); intraoperative transfusions of blood reserves Addendum from the ethics amendment vote of 25/07/2022 Subproject Delta-Scan started in August 2022: Evaluation of brain function using "Delta Scan" Primary objective: Evaluation of the prognostic significance of Delta Scan measurements in relation to postoperative delirium Secondary objectives: Examination of the delirium-related predictive relevance of individual influencing factors (directly but also indirectly through Delta Scan values) and examination of the effect of Delta Scan measurements on standard delirium screening methods. Study and control group's Inclusion criteria: Age \>= 70 years and major surgery with anesthesia; additional exclusion criterion in the control group: Inclusion in the QV-POD-1 project (receipt of postoperative preventive measures) Addendum from the ethics amendment vote of 25/07/2022

Management of Non-pharmacologic Delirium With the Use of a Nursing-led E-health Project: a Randonmized Controlled Trial

Application of an action protocol focused on the application of non-pharmacological interventions for managing delirium in the process of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, evaluated using an e-health intervention, with a tablet to introduce on it the data about the prevention, diagnostic and treatment process of each recluted patient, in the Igualada Hospital Center, once a day.

Effect of Low-dose EsketaMine on dElirium in High-risk Elderly Patients uNdergoing elecTive Surgery (ELEMENT)

Delirium is an acutely occurred neurocognitive disorder characterized by fluctuating symptoms of inattention, altered consciousness and cognitive dysfunction. Delirium is reported to occur in 4% to 65% of postoperative patients depending on the population, and is especially common in older patients. Postoperative delirium is disturbing to patients and their families, and it is a strong predictor of both early and long-term worse outcomes including increased non-delirium complications, increased perioperative mortality, shortened overall survival, declined cognitive function, and lowered quality of life. Although ketamine/esketamine has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, evidence on its efficacy in reducing postoperative delirium remains inconsistent and inconclusive. Existing studies are limited by heterogeneity, small sample sizes, single-center designs, and a focus on specific type of surgery. Research on elderly high-risk patients is lacking, and most studies administer the drug intraoperatively, with limited exploration of postoperative use. The optimal dosing and timing for POD prevention are unclear. This study aims to carry out a multicenter, single-blind, placebo-controlled, large-sample randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of low-dose esketamine, given intraoperatively and postoperatively, on delirium in elderly high-risk patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery.

Intravenous Acetaminophen for Postoperative Delirium in Older Patients Recovering From Major Noncardiac Surgery

Investigators propose this multi-center randomised controlled study to test the preventive effect of intravenouse acetaminophen in delirium over 5 postoperative days among older patients recovering from major non-cardiac surgery.

A Study of Huperzine A Injection in Reducing Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Non-cardiac Surgery

To observe and study the clinical effect of Huperzine A Injection on reducing postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery

The SCOPE Trial: Sleep, Cognition, and Pain Bundle Vs. ERAS-cardiac for Postoperative Delirium

Sleep disturbances, cognitive reserve, and continuing pain and inflammation are other risk factors contributing to delirium (confusion and agitation) and neurocognitive decline (in the long term) following heart surgery. Investigators aim to test a bundle of sleep optimization, cognitive exercise before surgery, and extended pain relief for 48 hours with intravenous acetaminophen combined with enhanced recovery after surgery protocols (SCOPE bundle). SCOPE will fill significant gaps in evidence by testing the value of a patient and care-provider-focused intervention that can potentially minimize POD and improve outcomes (cognitive \& physical function, sleep quality, pain, depression or anxiety, and survival) important to patients and families. The SCOPE trial will address many heart surgery outcome-related questions commonly asked by patients: What can I do to reduce my chances of developing confusion, hallucinations, or delirium after surgery? How can I best prepare before surgery to improve my long-term health and avoid disability? Are there exercises I can participate in that improve my sleep, pain, and mood after surgery? Intellectual pursuits, physical activity, and social interactions support cognitive reserve, while poor health, poor sleep hygiene, poor nutrition, and mental health disease can diminish reserve. Various interventions with different intensities and timing to augment cognitive reserve have been associated with positive outcomes on neuropsychological testing. Adaptive video gaming for as little as 10 hours leads to the maintenance of independence in activities of daily living and sustained improvements in speed of processing, attention, and working memory in older people. Likely through the increased cognitive reserve, perioperative brain exercise aims to protect against morbid cognitive recovery after surgery. Sleep is vital for memory and cognitive function. Poor sleep traits in older adults that are potentially modifiable, including short/long duration, daytime napping, and associated sleepiness, led to an almost 2-fold increase in delirium risk. Patients will complete an evidence-based course on healthy sleep habits and will complete guided exercises designed to restructure behaviors and thinking. They are encouraged to follow a set of recommendations to improve their sleep (e.g., optimal sleep duration, advice for habits such as daytime napping, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine, regular daylight exposure, dimming lights or electronics and relaxation and thought exercises for optimal sleep); many of these sleep behaviors have been strongly linked to increased risk for cognitive decline. Investigators propose that sleep optimization before AND after (an established best practice sleep bundle) surgical insult will contribute to cognitive reserve leading to decreased delirium risk and key patient-centered outcomes (postoperative sleep, pain, cognition, mood, and survival). Inadequate pain relief and opioids are both risk factors for delirium. Surgery on the chest is a significant pain source. Approximately 30-75% of patients suffer from moderate to severe pain in the postoperative period. Almost half of the patients have severe pain at rest, and three-quarters have severe pain during coughing and movement. Pain and inflammation are closely biochemically linked. Sleep, brain exercise, and adequate pain control with opioid-sparing can be additive or synergistic interventions to prevent delirium following heart surgery. Investigators propose three specific aims by conducting a 1:1 randomized controlled trial in 406 heart surgery patients 60 or older undergoing heart surgery. They will be administered perioperative sleep optimization, brain exercise training, and intravenous acetaminophen over 48 hours. A trained expert will administer the sleep and cognitive exercise protocols at least two weeks before surgery. This expert will handhold the patients for two weeks until the surgery. Thus, the gains made before surgery with better sleep quality and improved brain reserve will be sustained with postoperative pain control to lower the ongoing inflammation. Through this trial, investigators will evaluate if the SCOPE bundle can reduce 1) in-hospital delirium, 2) long-term (one, six, and twelve months) cognitive, physical, and self-care function, and 3) barriers to implementation of this bundle. Currently, no options are routinely available to patients to optimize their sleep and cognition before cardiac surgery. The proposed research is significant because it will be the first to test the bundled behavioral intervention approach (sleep optimization, brain exercise) before surgery with extended, scheduled pain management with non-opioids following surgery. The SCOPE trial will yield relevant and immediately actionable data to improve care for over 900,000 adults in the U.S. each year.

Exploring the Correlations of Lung Ultrasound with Delirium and Outcomes in Acute GEriatrics World: a Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study from the GRETA Group of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics

The purpose of this observational study is to investigate the prognostic relevance of lung ultrasound (LUS) performed on older patients (aged 65 and above) admitted to the hospital with acute respiratory symptoms. The primary objective is to determine if LUS-detected pulmonary abnormalities upon hospital admission are associated with the development of delirium during hospitalization. Secondary objectives include assessing the association between LUS patterns and clinical outcomes such as oxygen supplementation duration, non-invasive ventilation use, mortality, and length of hospital stay. This study involves no interventions and will monitor patients using LUS as part of their regular clinical care in multiple centers.

The Effect of Lavender Essential Oil for Delirium in Elderly Intensive Care Unit Patients: Study Protocol

Elderly critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at risk of delirium, which is primarily characterized by acute consciousness impairment and perceptual, cognitive, and memory impairment, resulting in excess death, care expenditures, and acquired dementia, depression and anxiety, which severely affect the prognosis of critically ill patients. However, there are currently no effective pharmacological strategies for preventing delirium. Inhalation aromatherapy has been proven to benefits the sleep disorder, anxiety or depression and lavender oil is one of the most used essential oils. Therefore, we hypothesized that the use of lavender would reduce the incidence rate of delirium in ICU patients.

Trazodone vs. Quetiapine for the Treatment of ICU Delirium

This is a single-center, prospective observational pilot study. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of trazodone as compared to quetiapine, in the management of ICU delirium in adult (\>=18 years old) surgical and medical ICU patients. The investigators will compare outcomes such as delirium duration, delirium-free days, coma-free days, in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, mechanical ventilator days, complications, adverse effects, rescue medication use, delirium symptom severity, sleep duration, and sleep quality among participants receiving trazodone or quetiapine. The investigators hypothesize participants receiving trazodone will be associated with a shorter duration of delirium, decreased delirium severity, and improved sleep quality compared to participants receiving quetiapine.

YOOMI: Effect of Gamified Physical Therapy Exercise Software on Inpatient Mobility

Patients admitted to the hospital often develop functional impairments due to being in bed most of the day. Each day of bedrest leads to significant muscle loss. As a result, many patients become dependent on others or require rehabilitation at a facility to improve mobility and function prior to returning home. Staff in the hospital is limited and often unable to mobilize patients every day while hospitalized. The investigators are testing a new experimental gamified physical therapy exercise software to see if it can be a fun, enjoyable way to help mobilize patients without the assistance of staff. The primary aim of this pilot/proof of concept study is to determine whether gamified physical therapy software can help inpatients exercise within the safety of their own beds and preserve pre-hospitalization function.