Abstract
Objectives
The purpose of this report was to identify medications that can be used to treat hypoactive
delirium.
Design
A systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science from inception through September
20, 2020.
Setting and Participants
Reports evaluating different pharmacologic treatments for hypoactive delirium in adults
(age 18 years and older) and geriatric patients were included.
Methods
Three independent investigators reviewed the abstracts, using the Rayyan QCRI review
tool to decide which articles were eligible for inclusion. Hereafter, articles were
read completely for final inclusion. Study quality was assessed using the guidelines
from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for cohort studies and
randomized control trials.
Results
Of the 52 relevant articles, only 4 (8%) met the selection criteria. Two were cohort
studies whereas the other 2 were randomized control trials. After further review,
one of the reports was excluded because the same data were used as in one of the randomized
control trials. In total, 4 different pharmacologic therapies were used in the selected
studies: haloperidol, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, and methylphenidate. Aripiprazole
showed a complete resolution of hypoactive delirium (P < .001), and methylphenidate showed a significant amelioration in cognitive function
(P < .001). Ziprasidone and haloperidol did not show significant differences compared
with placebo.
Conclusions and Implications
A limited number of clinical studies on the treatment of hypoactive delirium are available.
Aripiprazole and methylphenidate showed promising results in the treatment of hypoactive
delirium.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 04, 2021
Footnotes
This research did not receive any funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
