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Efficacy of haloperidol to decrease the burden of delirium in adult critically ill patients: a prospective randomised multi-center double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial

Project summary

Delirium is a frequent problem for very ill patients who are treated at the ICU. Delirium causes a lot of stress among patients and their family members and is related to permanent memory problems after hospitalization at the ICU. Currently, these patients are treated with haloperidol (which is known to cause side effects) even though there are no studies available that have shown the benefits for these patients.
Current study will investigate the effect of haloperidol on the duration of delirium as well as on patient and family member experiences. Secondly, the contribution of haloperidol on decreasing the long-term effects of delirium such as memory complaints are investigated. Lastly, the benefits versus the side effects of haloperidol usage will be studied.

Impact

Haloperidol is often used at the ICU for patients who suffer from delirium, without haloperidol having ever studied for its effectiveness, while it is known to have side effects for the patient.
This study will investigate the effectiveness of this often used drug with known side effects and also balance the pros and cons of its usage to the benefit of both health care workers, patients and their family members.

More detailed information

Principal Investigator:

Role Erasmus MC:

Coordinator

Department:

Project website:

Funding Agency:

ZonMw