““Delirium” or Acute Confusional State, if addressed and treated properly is preventable but there is not much awareness among the people of this syndrome”, said Dr. M. Santhana Krishnan, Senior Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry from Tees Esk Wear Valleys, NHS Foundation Trust, UK and Member of “iDelirium” – International Delirium Organisation. Kauvery Hospital is collaborating with Dr. Krishnan’s “I can Prevent Delirium” project which has been widely successful in UK. This initiative is going to be the first of its kind in India and is being launched in connection with the “World Delirium Day” which falls on March 15.
“The intention of this initiative is to educate and create awareness among medical and non medical professionals about how to prevent, identify and treat delirium using innovative methodology. The initiative will start with educating the entire nursing staff in Kauvery hospital in Chennai and will later go on to reach out to other hospitals all over India”, said Dr. Santhana Krishnan.
Dr. G. Balamurali, Consultant Spine and Neurosurgeon said that hospital staffs and in some cases, even doctors fail to identify delirium and often it is being confused with Schizoprenia or Dementia. This is where “I can prevent Delirium” initiative comes into play. Kauvery Hospital will train their nurses in identifying and dealing with patients affected with delirium. Our aim is to teach the nuances of taking care of a patient suffering from Delirium to all the nursing staff throughout the city. Very soon, a trainers training program will be launched, where the Head Nurses from hospitals across the city will be called for training sessions in this line.
Dr. Yamini Kannappan, Consultant Psychiatrist and Dr. M. Lakshmipathy Ramesh, Senior Geriatric Consultant, Kauvery Hospital were present during the interaction.
What is Delirium?
Delirium or acute confusional state is a sudden and severe change in brain function that causes a person to appear confused, disoriented or to have difficulties maintaining focus, thinking clearly and remembering recent events. Delirium can be triggered by a number of potential causes including medical illness, surgery and medications. Older patients over 65 years are at highest risk for developing delirium. Nearly 30% of older patients experience delirium at some time during hospitalization.
Delirium is a very serious unacknowledged condition that is associated with many adverse outcomes which include: increased mortality, falls, functional decline, cognitive impairment and decline and significant costs.
Despite all these problems, delirium is potentially preventable and treatable, when addressed promptly but poor understanding of the condition remains a major barrier for care.
Statistics on delirium:
· Delirium occurs in up to 25% hospitalized patients, 50% of surgical patients, 20% of nursing home patients, 77% of burn patients and 75% of ICU patients.
· An estimated 37% of surgical patients experience postoperative delirium.
· Delirium may be higher in patients 65 years of age or older.
· Delirium occurs in up to 50% of patients with dementia that require hospitalization.
About Kauvery Hospital:
Kauvery Hospital had humble beginnings as a 30-bed facility in the year 1999. Kauvery Group today stands out as a distinguished market leader in the region with two established tertiary care multi-speciality hospitals and an exclusive cardiac care facility in the parent city of Trichy, a tertiary care multi-speciality hospital in Chennai and another project just launched at Hosur.
Kauvery Hospital Chennai is a tertiary care multi-specialty hospital in Alwarpet spanning seven floors, with a number of consulting rooms, ultra-modern surgery theatres and a day-care surgery unit and the facility also houses one of the most advanced imaging centers in the state. The team of consultants and medical professionals are capable of dealing with a wide range of complex medical and surgical problems. The medical and surgical services are supported by Intensive Care Units, combining the highest quality of critical care nursing, with 24/7 access to specialists and support services. The hospital is also supported by a full range of diagnostic services including: Multislice CT Scan, Digital Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Ultrasound, Cardiac imaging & Laboratory Services.
Photo caption 1: The nursing staff of Kauvery Hospital are being taught the effective ways to treat Delirium patients, by Dr. M. Santhana Krishnan, Senior Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry from Tees Esk Wear Valleys, NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Photo caption (from L to R) : Dr. M. Lakshmipathy Ramesh, Senior Geriatric Consultant, Dr. M. Santhana Krishnan, Senior Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry from Tees Esk Wear Valleys, NHS Foundation Trust, UK, Dr. G. Balamurali, Consultant Spine and Neurosurgeon and Dr. Yamini Kannappan, Consultant Psychiatrist, Kauvery Hospital.