5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
To learn about your feelings as a caregiver about the level of discomfort of patients who have hypoactive delirium (loss of contact and response to reality) and who are at the end of life
Delirium within the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with poor outcomes such as increased mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), and time on mechanical ventilation. Benzodiazepine (BZD) exposure is an independent risk factor for development of delirium. Reversal of hypoactive delirium represents a potential opportunity for reducing duration of delirium and subsequent complications. This is a single-center randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of critically ill adult patients with benzodiazepine-associated hypoactive delirium. The hypothesis is that flumazenil continuous infusion may reverse hypoactive delirium associated with BZD exposure and thereby reduce duration of delirium and ICU LOS.
This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of 30 patients. Patients who qualify, as per the inclusion criteria (RASS greater than -3, less then +1, CAM positive, present gastric access) will either be given 200mg of modafinil or an identical, indistinguishable placebo. The placebo and study drug will be distributed by the hospital pharmacy. Once enrolled, each patient will be reassessed every morning to determine appropriateness for drug administration. If the RASS is less than -3 (i.e. comatose) or greater then 0 modafinil will not be given. He/she will then be assessed each morning thereafter. Due to the stimulant-like actions of modafinil, the drug will be administered only in the morning. Patients will be assessed for delirium at least twice a day; trained personnel using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) will do the assessment. Qualification for a delirium free day will be no positive CAM screens for 24 hours following drug administration. Additional data such as days on mechanical ventilation and progression to tracheotomy will also be collected hypothesizing that patients who take modafinil will have a shorter time to extubation therefore avoiding the need for a tracheotomy. Post-discharge from the unit, but within 48 hours, patients will be asked to participate in a survey (The Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) assessing their perception of daytime and nighttime sleepiness in the intensive care unit as well as their overall perception of rest. Their functional capacity will also be evaluated at this time and compared to their pre-morbid baseline. The hypothesis tested is that Modafinil restores sleep cycle synchrony in the ICU therefore increasing delirium free days and improving ICU outcomes.
Although there are several tools available for the screening of delirium among the medically ill, they all have some limitations. First, none of the available tools have been validated against newly developed and published DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) or ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) criteria. Additionally, all the screening/diagnostic tools presently available have the same limitation, they all require significant patient involvement and participation (e.g., questions and activities) in order to complete the assessment. By definition, delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by disturbance in attention and awareness, and additional disturbance in cognition (e.g., memory deficit, disorientation), language, visuospatial ability, or perception. The intrinsic characteristics of delirium seem to interfere with the patient's ability to participate and complete many of the tasks associated with delirium evaluation itself. Finally, most available tools seem to narrowly focus on some neurocognitive areas of delirium, but not being comprehensive enough. In contrast, the S-PTD is designed so it can be completed by the nursing staff caring for the patients, the medical personnel most intimately involved with the care and aware of the behaviors exhibited by the patient during the course of their hospital stay. The idea is that nurses will complete the screening tool (hence the term "by proxy"), based on the behaviors and interactions observed during the course of a conventional "nursing shift", to determine whether the patient meets current neuropsychiatric criteria for the diagnosis of delirium.
Delirium, as a common complication of hospitalization, poses significant health problems in hospitalized patients. Though about a third of delirium cases can benefit from intervention, detecting and predicting delirium is still very limited in practice. A common characterization of delirium is change in activity level, causing patients to become hyperactive or hypoactive which is manifested in facial expressions and total body movements. This pilot study is designed to test the feasibility of a delirium detection system using movement data obtained from 3-axis wearable accelerometers and commercially available camera with facial recognition video system in conjunction with electronics medical record (EMR) data to analyze the relation of whole-body movement and facial expressions with delirium.