Delirium in Geriatric Trauma Patients

This review focuses on exploring the most recent literature on delirium among older adult trauma and acute care surgery patients. There are numerous scientific advances in the understanding and management of delirium among geriatric trauma patients (GTP). In terms of prevention, most of these advances are focused on non-pharmacological interventions. There are several studies exploring biomarkers for the objective assessment of delirium. Current recommendations for the pharmacologic treatment of delirium suggest reserving the use of antipsychotics and other sedating medications for the treatment of severe agitation that poses a risk to the patient. Despite extensive strides in the prevention and treatment of delirium, there is still a paucity of data in GTPs. Our review shows that GTPs benefit from multi-faceted interventions that serve primarily as preventive measures, and there is evidence that some novel pharmacological interventions may help in the treatment of GTPs.