Delirium in the Final Weeks of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients.
10.4082/kjfm.2009.30.4.285
- Author:
Hi Jung CHO
1
;
Hyun Ki KIM
;
Kyung Kon KIM
;
Yu Il KIM
;
Sang Yeon SUH
;
Kyung Hee CHO
;
Hee Chul KANG
;
Bang Bu YOUN
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Shinchon Severance Hospital, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Delirium;
Terminal Cancer;
Risk Factors
- MeSH:
Colon;
Delirium;
Humans;
Hyperbilirubinemia;
Hypnotics and Sedatives;
Hyponatremia;
Logistic Models;
Lung Neoplasms;
Medical Records;
Morphine;
National Health Programs;
Neoplasm Metastasis;
Quality of Life;
Retrospective Studies;
Risk Factors;
Stomach Neoplasms;
Terminally Ill
- From:Korean Journal of Family Medicine
2009;30(4):285-291
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUNDS: In terminally ill cancer patients, delirium must be considered to be important clinically and for the quality of life. We reviewed cases of delirium in hospitalized cancer patients with the aim to recognize and treat delirium. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of patients admitted with terminal cancer from April 2003 to April 2004 in the department of family medicine, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital. A total of 71 patients were evaluated with age, sex, oncological diagnosis, metastases, morphine (oral morphine equivalents/day, OME) use and amount, sedatives use, duration from delirium to death, and laboratory fi ndings. Analysis was conducted to fi nd the characteristics of delirium patients and to quantify the relationship between delirium and predicting factors. RESULTS: Among 71 cases, those patients who developed delirium were 41 (57.7%). Among them, gastric cancer was the most common diagnosis with 10 patients (24.4%), followed by colon and lung cancers (9: 22%, 5: 12.2%). The patients receiving sedatives or morphines were 24 (58.5%) and 28 (68.3%), respectively. The mean amount of morphine was 168.6 +/- 125.5 mg OME/day. Hyperbilirubinemia (4.2 +/- 9.2 mg/dL) and hyponatremia (132.5 +/- 4.5 mM/L) were found. Not only bone metastasis and the use of morphine or sedatives but serum Na were significant (P = 0.047; P < 0.001; P = 0.069; P = 0.029). By logistic regression analyses, the occurrence of delirium was increased with decreased serum Na (odds ratio [95% CI] 0.798 [0.649-0.981]) and increased use of sedatives (5.955 [1.080-32.835]). CONCLUSION: In terminally ill cancer patients, the risk factors of delirium were bone metastasis, the use of morphine or sedatives, and serum Na level. Among these, the use of sedatives and serum Na level were independent risk factors.
