Delirium: Acute Confusional States In Palliative Medicine

Delirium is a complex syndrome with a multifactorial aetiology and is characterized by marked disturbances of consciousness, attention, memory, perception, thought, sleep-wake cycle, and by fluctuation of symptoms. This book covers in detail the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical aspects, differential diagnosis, and management of the syndrome. Due to the special characteristics of the syndrome, specific chapters deal with different aetiologies and populations at risk, with emphasis on the critically ill and palliative care patients. As delirium often announces or anticipates the proximity of death, family issues are considered in a comprehensive final chapter, covering the impact of terminal illness on the family and the process of bereavement. The book emphasises the need for assessing and diagnosing delirium with reliable instruments, and a chapter on assessment is reinforced by including appendices of many of the most relevant instruments reported in recent literature. The evidence from the literature is always distinguished from the authors' opinions and most chapters are integrated by the presentation of case examples. Updated for the second edition this book contains new material on topics including classification systems, more data on populations at risk, and significant new material on the family and bereavement. Delirium: Acute confusional states in palliative medicine, Second Edition demonstrates that only an interdisciplinary treatment of delirium between neurology, psychiatry and palliative medicine can develop knowledge of the syndrome and improve patient and family care. This book has been written for palliative care physicians and specialist nurses, neurologists, psychiatrists, and other health professionals treating terminally ill patients, offering them a clear account of how to recognize and deal with the syndrome. Review: 'well-referenced aid that will be appreaciated by many in the field as it is very user-friendly. It is a handy and appreciated reference volume for anybody treating delirium patients, particularly in palliative medicine.' Psychological Medicine 'It achieves its aim to encourage further exploration of this difficult area.' Palliative Medicine, Vol 18, 2 'This is a useful and stimulating book that takes our thinking about the meaning and management of delirium one step further. A worthy addition to the Palliative Care Service library.' IAHPC website Contents: List of abbreviations ; 1. From history to present definitions ; 2. From history to present definitions ; 3. Epidemiology ; 4. Clinical phenomenology ; 5. Differential diagnosis ; 6. Frequent aetiologies ; 7. Delirium in special populations ; 8. Diagnostic assessment ; 9. Management ; 10. Family issues ; Appendices Author Biography: After graduating medical school at the Universita degli Studi di Milano, Augusto Caraceni was board certified in Neurology and in Clinical Neurophysiology from the Universita di Pavia. While training in pain therapy and in palliative care at the National Cancer Institute of Milan in 1986 he participated in the WHO program to test and disseminate the WHO ladder for cancer pain relief. Clinical fellow in Neurology and Palliative Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York in 1994, he served for many years as member of the board of directors of the Italian Association of Palliative Care and as Vice President of the European Association of Palliative Care. Editor of the Italian Journal of Palliative Care, his work has always emphasized the development of national and international research collaboration in palliative care, participating in the establishment of a European research network within EAPC and recently of the European Palliative Care Research Center (PRC) as Vice Chair. Luigi Grassi graduated in Medicine at the University of Bologna in 1981 and board certified in Medical Psychology in 1985 (University of Bologna) and in Psychiatry in 1989 (University of Ferrara). He is currently Professor and Chair of Psychiatry, University of Ferrara, Italy, where he is the Director of the Post-graduation Residency Program in Psychiatry and the graduate course in Rehabilitation Psychiatry. He is also the Chief of the Clinical and Emergency Psychiatry Unit, Department of Mental Health and Drug Abuse, NHS Local Health Agency in Ferrara. He has been Visiting professor in several centers in the USA and coordinated the EU Project "Improving Health Staff's Communication and Assessment Skills of Psychosocial Morbidity and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: a Study in Southern European Countries (SEPO-S)".