Meera R Agar, Peter G Lawlor, Stephen Quinn, Brian Draper, Gideon A Caplan, Debra Rowett, Christine Sanderson, Janet Hardy, Brian Le, Simon Eckermann, Nicola McCaffrey, Linda Devilee, Belinda Fazekas, Mark Hill, David C Currow
IMPORTANCE: Antipsychotics are widely used for distressing symptoms of delirium, but efficacy has not been established in placebo-controlled trials in palliative care. OBJECTIVE: To determine efficacy of risperidone or haloperidol relative to placebo in relieving target symptoms of delirium associated with distress among patients receiving palliative care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A double-blind, parallel-arm, dose-titrated randomized clinical trial was conducted at 11 Australian inpatient hospice or hospital palliative care services between August 13, 2008, and April 2, 2014, among participants with life-limiting illness, delirium, and a delirium symptoms score (sum of Nursing Delirium Screening Scale behavioral, communication, and perceptual items) of 1 or more...
January 1, 2017: JAMA Internal Medicine