Cases Of Delirium Tremens Research Articles

Use of propofol as adjuvant therapy in refractory delirium tremens

Delirium tremens is recognized as a potentially fatal and debilitating complication of alcohol withdrawal. Use of sedatives, particularly benzodiazepines, is the cornerstone of therapy for delirium tremens. But sometimes, very heavy doses of benzodiazepines are required to control delirious symptoms. We are reporting one such case of delirium tremens, which required very heavy doses of benzodiazepines and was ultimately controlled by using infusion of propofol. Thus propofol should always be considered as an option to treat patients with resistant delirium tremens.

Delayed-onset delirium tremens – a diagnostic and management challenge

Delirium tremens (DT) is one of the most serious complications of alcohol withdrawal, affecting 5-10% of in-patients with a mortality rate up to 15%. DT, characterised by delirium and tremors, appears within 48-72 h of abstinence and persists for about 5-10 days. We report a case of DT in a young man with delayed onset on the 15th day after the cessation of alcohol use, despite an uncomplicated detoxification with benzodiazepine treatment. We hypothesise that the intake of country liquor in our patient, which contains higher percentages of alcohol, causes a prolonged imbalance of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid and glutamate receptor activity, leading to the picture of delayed-onset DT and that an atypical presentation at the time of admission and atypicality in early course are clinical pointers to the subsequent development of delayed-onset DT.

Risk Factors for Delirium Tremens: A Retrospective Chart Review

A retrospective chart review was performed within an inpatient VA hospital setting in an attempt to identify risk factors for delirium tremens (DTs). Cases of delirium tremens were compared to cases where patients' alcohol withdrawal during hospitalization did not progress to DTs. Significant differences were found in regard to prior histories of DTs and laboratory values at admission. The amount and duration of benzodiazepine use during hospitalization, antipsychotic use during hospitalization, and length of hospitalization were also statistically different between the groups. While not reaching statistical significance, there were differences in reason for admission and relapse rate upon follow-up between the groups.

A retrospective comparison of delirium tremens cases before and after the availability of chlormethiazole.

To assess the contribution of chlormethiazole to the treatment of delirium tremens (DT), a retrospective analysis was carried out on cases of DT admitted to the Department of Psychiatry, University of Tübingen, West Germany before and after the introduction of chlormethiazole. Following the introduction of chlormethiazole, there was a significant reduction in DT mortality and in duration of DTs. The age and sex distribution of cases of DT were compared and were found to be similar before and after the introduction of chlormethiazole. The incidence of complications in the two periods were analysed. The dose of chlormethiazole on the first 4 days of DT and the doses of additional psychoactive drugs were also noted.

CONVULSIVE SEIZURES IN DELIRIUM TREMENS

That some patients with delirium tremens have convulsions during the course of their illness has long been known. For the most part, however, the seizures have been labeled whisky fits, and there are few references to them in the literature. Cobb and Lennox, 1 in the chapter on epilepsy in Oxford Medicine, remarked: Alcohol poisoning may have epileptic seizures as a symptom, and stated that when a relationship [of seizures to alcohol] exists, the seizure usually comes during the sobering-up process. Since in recent years much new light has been shed on the whole problem of convulsive disorders with the aid of electroencephalography and since no systematic analysis of convulsions associated with delirium tremens can be found, we thought that such a study might be timely. ANALYSIS OF CASES Three hundred and five cases of delirium tremens, representing 384 separate admissions to the psychiatric pavilion of the Cincinnati General Hospital

The Results of Drug Treatment in Five Hundred Cases of Delirium Tremens

The Results of Drug Treatment in Five Hundred Cases of Delirium Tremens

Abstract of Cases of Delirium Tremens and Ebriositas Treated by Digitalis

Abstract of Cases of Delirium Tremens and Ebriositas Treated by Digitalis

ART. VI.—An Analysis of the Cases of Delirium Tremens, admitted into the Bloomingdale Asylum for the Insane, from June 16th, 1821, to December 31st, 1844

ART. VI.—An Analysis of the Cases of Delirium Tremens, admitted into the Bloomingdale Asylum for the Insane, from June 16th, 1821, to December 31st, 1844