Delirium resident survival guide

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Pratik Bahekar, MBBS [2]

Definition

Delirium is an acute and relatively sudden (developing over hours to days) decline in attention-focus, perception, and cognition.

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

• Acute Liver failure
• Acute Renal failure
• Adrenal cortex insufficiency
• Brain infection
• Burns
• Carbon monoxide toxicity
• Cardiac failure
• Cerebral oedema
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Cyanide
• Diabetic ketoacidosis

• Drug overdose
• Drug withdrawal e.g. ethanol, benzodiazepines
• Epileptic seizures
• Head injury
• Heart failure
• Hypertensive encephalopathy
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypoxemia
• Raised intracranial pressure
• Sepsis
• Systemic organ failure
• Wernicke's encephalopathy

Common Causes

• Antihistamines
• Antipsychotics
• Chronic Liver failure
• Chronic Renal failure
• Folate deficiency

• Hyperthyroidism
• systemic inflammatory response syndrome
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency
• Vitamin B12 deficiency

Management

Diagnosis

Treatment

Do's

Dont's

References

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