A systematic review 1 including 4 studies with a total of 158 medically or surgically ill patients was abstracted in DARE. One study (n=30) treating AIDS patients for delirium found statistically significant improvements in the delirium rating scale (DRS) score for haloperidol (p<0.001) and chlorpromazine (p<0.001), but not for lorazepam (p<0.63). One study (n=24) comparing the effects of risperidone and haloperidol for the treatment of delirium in oncology, medical and intensive care unit patients found a significant improvement in the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) score in both groups (p<0.05). One study (n=73) comparing haloperidol and olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in intensive care unit patients found that delirium index (DI) scores improved for both groups (p=0.02). One study (n=31) evaluating the treatment of delirium in medical and surgical patients reported an improvement in the revised delirium rating scale (DRS-R-98) for treatment with amisulpride (p=0.000) and quetiapine (p=0.001).
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (several methodological limitations), by inconsistency (heterogeneity in study populations, interventions and outcomes) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison)
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