Purpose: This study aimed to identify the incidence and related factors of delirium among cancer patients admitted to the general wards of a tertiary hospital. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 9,749 adult cancer patients. Patients who screened positive for delirium were assessed using the Korean version of the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (NuDESC). Data were analyzed using χ² tests, t-tests, and multiple logistic regression. Results: The incidence of delirium was 2.5% (n=243) based on screening results. Significant predictors included older age, longer hospital stays, emergency room admission, 90-day readmission, completion of life-sustaining treatment decisions, surgical department admission, altered consciousness (the strongest predictor), elevated white blood cell and blood urea nitrogen levels, and low albumin levels (p<.050).These 10 factors showed high discriminatory power for delirium (AUC=.91, 95% CI: 0.90~0.93). Conclusion The Nu-DESC should be actively utilized in clinical practice for early delirium detection. Nursing interventions must prioritize managing modifiable factors such as nutritional status, infection, and dehydration. Furthermore, case-sharing systems and regular education are essential to enhance nursing expertise and ensure patient safety.

PURPOSE: A part of seizure disorders, hemosiderin deposits are noted in epileptogenic lesions cytopathologically and iron status may affect the seizure threshold. To investigate this possibility, measures of iron sufficiency were evaluated. METHODS: Children between 6 months and 5 years of age with febrile illnesss with (n=45) or without simple febrile seizures(n=50) were eligible for study. Children with the central nervous system(meningitis or encephalitis) infection, developmental delay, neurologic deficit, or past history of febrile seizures were excluded. RESULTS: The hemoglobin level was 11.99+/-0.96 gm/dL in the febrile seizure and 11.44+/-1.6 gm/dL in the control group. The mean corpuscular volume was 77.9+/-6.2 fL in the febrile seizure group and 74.6+/-10.5 fL in the control group. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin was 26.8+/-2.1 pg in the febrile seizure group and 25.4+/-3.6 pg in the control group. The platelet count was 348.6+/-141.4(x10(9)/L) in the febrile seizure group and 382.3+/-107.3(x10(9)/L) in the control group. The ferritin was 27.5+/-20.2 mg/L in the febrile seizure group and 22.5+/-15.6 mg/L in the control group. CONCLUSION: A relationship between iron deficiency and a reduced risk of febrile seizures is consistent with the study hypothesis that iron deficiency may thereby raise the febrile seizure threshold. Therefore, the effects of antioxidants on the frequency of febrile seizures could be evaluated to test this hypothesis more directly. Studies using iron chelators would be necessary to delineate these possible effects.
Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency* ; Antioxidants ; Chelating Agents ; Child ; Epilepsy ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Ferritins ; Hemosiderin ; Humans ; Iron* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Platelet Count ; Seizures ; Seizures, Febrile*

PURPOSE: A part of seizure disorders, hemosiderin deposits are noted in epileptogenic lesions cytopathologically and iron status may affect the seizure threshold. To investigate this possibility, measures of iron sufficiency were evaluated. METHODS: Children between 6 months and 5 years of age with febrile illnesss with (n=45) or without simple febrile seizures(n=50) were eligible for study. Children with the central nervous system(meningitis or encephalitis) infection, developmental delay, neurologic deficit, or past history of febrile seizures were excluded. RESULTS: The hemoglobin level was 11.99+/-0.96 gm/dL in the febrile seizure and 11.44+/-1.6 gm/dL in the control group. The mean corpuscular volume was 77.9+/-6.2 fL in the febrile seizure group and 74.6+/-10.5 fL in the control group. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin was 26.8+/-2.1 pg in the febrile seizure group and 25.4+/-3.6 pg in the control group. The platelet count was 348.6+/-141.4(x10(9)/L) in the febrile seizure group and 382.3+/-107.3(x10(9)/L) in the control group. The ferritin was 27.5+/-20.2 mg/L in the febrile seizure group and 22.5+/-15.6 mg/L in the control group. CONCLUSION: A relationship between iron deficiency and a reduced risk of febrile seizures is consistent with the study hypothesis that iron deficiency may thereby raise the febrile seizure threshold. Therefore, the effects of antioxidants on the frequency of febrile seizures could be evaluated to test this hypothesis more directly. Studies using iron chelators would be necessary to delineate these possible effects.
Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency* ; Antioxidants ; Chelating Agents ; Child ; Epilepsy ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Ferritins ; Hemosiderin ; Humans ; Iron* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Platelet Count ; Seizures ; Seizures, Febrile*