Atypical antipsychotics no safer than haloperidol for postoperative delirium: Study
FROM ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
Prevention
Dr. Oh and Dr. Kim agreed that nonpharmacologic strategies, such as ensuring good nutrition and hydration, daily walking, cognitive-stimulating activities, and good sleep hygiene, are effective and safe in preventing postoperative delirium.
“These are common sense interventions, but they require a lot of staffing and training,” Dr. Kim said. “It’s a resource-intensive intervention that requires really changing the way hospital staff interacts with older patients in the hospital.”
Second-generation antipsychotic medications often are thought to be safer than haloperidol in terms of side effects, Dr. Oh said, but the new findings challenge that assumption.
“Based on the findings from this study and on prior studies of antipsychotic use for older adults, use of all antipsychotics, both first and second generation, should be reviewed carefully to ensure they are being administered at the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible,” she said.
The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Kim and Dr. Oh disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
