title: An open trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in hospitalized cancer patients.
abstract: We conducted an open, prospective trial of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in a sample of 79 hospitalized cancer patients. Patients all met DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of delirium and were rated systematically with the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) as a measure of delirium severity, phenomenology, and resolution, over the course of a 7-day treatment period. Sociodemographic and medical variables and measures of physical performance status and drug-related side effects were collected. Fifty-seven patients (76%) had complete resolution of their delirium on olanzapine therapy. No patients experienced extrapyramidal side effects; however, 30% experienced sedation (usually not severe enough to interrupt treatment). Several factors were found to be significantly associated with poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium, including age >70 years, history of dementia, central nervous system spread of cancer and hypoxia as delirium etiologies, "hypoactive" delirium, and delirium of "severe" intensity (i.e., MDAS >23). A logistic-regression model suggests that age >70 years is the most powerful predictor of poorer response to olanzapine treatment for delirium (odds ratio, 171.5). Olanzapine appears to be a clinically efficacious and safe drug for the treatment of the symptoms of delirium in the hospitalized medically ill.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. Breitbaw@mskcc.org
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Breitbart
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003693:Delirium / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D000077152:Olanzapine; D010890:Pirenzepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D010890:Pirenzepine; D000077152:Olanzapine