Pharmacological Management of Delirium (PMD)

August 16, 2018 updated by: MALAZ BOUSTANI, Indiana University
The purpose of this study is to develop and test the feasibility of using a specific pharmacological protocol to reduce delirium burden among older adults in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The study will test the efficacy of a pharmacological intervention in reducing delirium severity and duration as well as length of stay and mortality compared to usual care.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In 2005, approximately 2.7 million Americans aged 65 and older spent at least one day in the intensive care unit (ICU), costing Medicare an estimated $27.5 billion. It is estimated that while hospitalized, up to 80% of these older ICU patients had delirium, an acute brain failure that is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality which often goes unrecognized. Older adults with delirium are more prone to falls, injuries, pressure ulcers and restraints, complications which may also contribute to prolonged ICU and hospital length of stay, higher mortality rates, poorer functional status, limited rehabilitation, increased institutionalization, and higher health care costs. The literature supports treatment with a combination of a reduction in the use of benzodiazepines and anticholinergics and the use of low-dose neuroleptics such as haloperidol. However, there have been no randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of this approach on reducing delirium severity, duration, and complications.

Building upon the e-CHAMP study, ("Enhancing Care for Hospitalized Older Adults With Memory Problems;" see NCT00182832), a recently completed quality improvement project tested the effectiveness of cognitive screening coupled with computerized decision support in reducing delirium and other hospital-related complications among 424 older adults hospitalized on the medical wards, which found that many of the older adults entering the study had already experienced delirium in the ICU prior to their transfer to the wards. This study will test a pharmacologic intervention that allows a more targeted approach to the care of older adults with delirium while still recognizing the clinicians' role in controlling symptoms and providing intensive care.

The hypothesis is that patients in the intervention arm as compared to usual care will have:

  • reduced delirium severity, as measured by the Delirium Rating Scale (DRS-R-98), at one week following randomization or hospital discharge
  • fewer hospital days with delirium or coma as determined by the Confusion Assessment Method in the ICU (CAM-ICU)
  • shorter hospital lengths of stay
  • lower ICU, hospital, and 30-day mortality

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

551

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Methodist Hospital
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • University Hospital
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Eskenazi Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Hospitalized on an ICU ward
  • Delirium based on the RASS and the CAM-ICU assessments at any day during ICU stay
  • English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Admitted directly to a regular non-ICU ward
  • Previously enrolled in the study
  • Not eligible for delirium assessment as determined by RASS scores
  • Prior history of severe mental illness
  • Alcohol-related delirium
  • Pregnant or nursing
  • Have had an aphasic stroke

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Haloperidol Eligible Intervention
0.5-1mg Haloperidol Q8h for 7 days, reduced exposure to anticholinergics, reduced exposure to benzodiazepines
Behavioral: Reduced exposure to anticholinergics

Using the computerized support, physicians will be notified if they attempt to prescribe a patient a medication with anticholinergic properties and will be given a safe alternative to the drug.

Patients who are in the non-haldol arm will have their medical records manually reviewed by the study pharmacist as the computerized support is not set to differentiate between patients who can & cannot receive Haldol

Procedure: Reduced exposure to benzodiazepines
Tapering exposure to benzodiazepines by 50% over the first 48 hours after mechanical ventilation, complete stop by discharge; no benzodiazepine orders for patients not requiring mechanical ventilation
Drug: Haloperidol
0.5 to 1 mg haloperidol every 8 hours via oral or parenteral route for a total of seven days or until discharge from the hospital
Other Names:
  • Haldol
Active Comparator: Haloperidol Eligible Usual Care
Usual care
Procedure: Usual care
May include use of typical and atypical neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives to manage the symptoms of delirium
Experimental: Haldol-Ineligible Arm

Haldol-Ineligible arm for patients with contraindications for Haldol, unresolvable prolonged QTc, history of torsades de pointes, or history of seizures.

Patients are randomized and will still receive:

reduced exposure to anticholinergics, reduced exposure to benzodiazepines
Behavioral: Reduced exposure to anticholinergics

Using the computerized support, physicians will be notified if they attempt to prescribe a patient a medication with anticholinergic properties and will be given a safe alternative to the drug.

Patients who are in the non-haldol arm will have their medical records manually reviewed by the study pharmacist as the computerized support is not set to differentiate between patients who can & cannot receive Haldol

Procedure: Reduced exposure to benzodiazepines
Tapering exposure to benzodiazepines by 50% over the first 48 hours after mechanical ventilation, complete stop by discharge; no benzodiazepine orders for patients not requiring mechanical ventilation
Active Comparator: Haldol Ineligible Usual Care
Usual Care
Procedure: Usual care
May include use of typical and atypical neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives to manage the symptoms of delirium

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Days Free of Delirium and Coma
Time Frame: Admission through day 8 of stay
Admission through day 8 of stay

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Hospital Length of Stay Post Randomization
Time Frame: Participants were followed for the duration of hospital stay, an average of 11 days
Participants were followed for the duration of hospital stay, an average of 11 days
Mortality
Time Frame: ICU, in-hospital, 30-days post hospitalization
ICU, in-hospital, 30-days post hospitalization

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Indiana University

Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Malaz Boustani, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

February 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 10, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

February 12, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 17, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 16, 2018

Last Verified

August 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IA0145
  • R01AG034205 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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