Delirium vs. Dementia

A new article on Medpage regarding delirium (acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of  acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior - From Wikipedia) that is important to any elder facing cardiac surgery or potentially any other surgery.  We often see our elder clients, when hospitalized, have a severe exacerbation of their dementia or new onset of a confusion and disorientation during the hospitalization and after returning home. Often a delirium is misdiagnosed in the hospital as a dementia and so it is important that a psychiatrist or neurologist test a person who is suspected to have either a rapid onset delirium or a dementia to determine the correct diagnosis.  The link to the Medpage article is here.