Han Jin H, Wilson Amanda, Ely E Wesley
Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 703 Oxford House, 1313 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-4700, USA.
Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2010 Aug;28(3):611-31. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2010.03.005.
Delirium is defined as an acute change in cognition that cannot be better accounted for by a preexisting or evolving dementia. This form of organ dysfunction commonly occurs in older patients in the emergency department (ED) and is associated with a multitude of adverse patient outcomes. Consequently, delirium should be routinely screened for in older ED patients. Once delirium is diagnosed, the ED evaluation should focus on searching for the underlying cause. Infection is one of the most common precipitants of delirium, but multiple causes may exist concurrently.
谵妄被定义为一种认知的急性改变，而既往存在或逐渐发展的痴呆无法更好地解释这种改变。这种器官功能障碍形式常见于急诊科（ED）的老年患者，并与众多不良患者结局相关。因此，应在老年ED患者中常规筛查谵妄。一旦诊断出谵妄，ED评估应侧重于寻找潜在病因。感染是谵妄最常见的诱发因素之一，但可能同时存在多种病因。
