Watford General Hospital in Hertfordshire is holding an ICU delirium study day Tuesday 15th June.  Lecturers include Dr Valerie Page - on her home turf for a change -  Mark Borthwick from the John Radcliffe and the UK Clinical Pharmacists Association, Dr Dan Conway, a recognised authority in (very early!) critical care mobilisation and hopefully Melanie Gager will share her experience on how to implement routine monitoring. 

Its a snip at £30, look forward to seeing you there!

Contact alison.east@whht.nhs.uk for further details

The European Delirium Assocation has produced its first newsletter - the Annals of Delirium.  It is a small beginning but it is a start, at last bringing together clinicians from community to ICUs; those who recognise the importance of delirium.  This will be produced quarterly and will feature news, views and expert commentaries as well as educational gems.

Download it from the website now!

www.europeandelirumassociation.com

This years International Delirium Congress is to be held on November 11th and 12th in Amsterdam.  It will include a rare appearance this side of the Atlantic by Dr Sharon Inouye.  The organisers are working hard to keep the costs down so book your study leave now!

www.europeandeliriumassociation.com

I hope you all have a merry, healthy and safe few days whatever you may be celebrating.  Why not close the year out by looking back over the years news archive?  Hey then in January, dust off that resolution about ICU delirium monitoring and management and Just Do It!

The Vanderbilt group have just published the results of the feasibility trial MIND - Modifying the INcidence of Delirium in Critical Care Medicine. It is important because it was a placebo trial comparing ICU delirium duration using haloperidol, ziprasidone and placebo. While there was no difference between the groups it demonstrated safety and feasibility of such a study. The doors are open for a larger trial powered for meaningful outcomes.

http://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/Abstract/publishahead/Feasibility,_efficacy,_and_safety_of.98817.aspx

Now it is your opportunity to comment on the draft NICE guidelines on delirium. To contribute you or your organisation will need to be registered as stakeholders - a formality.

The draft guidelines with information about how to give feedback can be found at the NICE website:
www.nice.org.uk

The comments proforma should be emailed to delirium@nice.org.uk

You have until Wednesday 6 January but no time like the present!

Vanderbilt Medical Center where Professor Wes Ely works have a 2 minute video about his work into long-term cognitive impairment and ICU delirium in their news section. Check it out!

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases.php?release=1324

The Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire Critical Care Network are hosting a study day , Thursday 19th November with presentations on restraint and a “How we implemented delirium screening, (warts ‘n all)” as well as the detection, prevention and treatment of ICU delirium. 

Details at  http://www.nsc-ccn.nhs.uk/

Its in Little Abingdon in Cambridge and costs £35 out of network. To register ring the network on 01603 866402 or email mandybaker@nhs.net. 

See you there!

The question often asked is how screening for ICU delirium will help our patients? After all we do not yet know for sure if treating delirium will improve outcomes (the study is yet to be done, watch this space). Look up an article in press on the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine website; Margaret Pisani and her group in Yale have shown duration of ICU delirium was significantly associated with time to death within one year post-ICU admission. Knowing when your patient develops delirium makes good clinical sense!

www.ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/200904-0537OCv1

The European Delirium Congress is in Leeds this October 8th and 9th - what an opportunity!  Full details from the website: www.europeandeliriumassociation.com