Treatment of delirium with quetiapine

Abstract

Delirium, an organic psychiatric syndrome, occurs in 10% of hospitalized patients and is characterized by fluctuating consciousness and impaired cognition, perception, and behavior. Method: Charts of 11 consecutive patients with delirium were retretrospectively reviewed. These patients were given quetiapine fumarate, a novel antipsychotic, as first-line treatment for their symptoms. The charts of a control group of 11 patients treated with haloperidal, the standard treatment for delirium, during the same time period were also evaluated. The Delirim Rating Scale (DRS) was used to evaluate-the efficacy of each treatment. Results: Ten of 11 patients in both groups had > 50% improvement in DRS scores. There was no difference in onset of symptom resolution, duration of treatment, and overall clinical improvement. Quetiapine was better tolerated in these medically ill patients. Conclusion: Quetiapine appears to be an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment for delirium. Further prospective studies are warranted. © Copyright 2000 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.