Efficacy of Quetiapine for the Treatment of Patients with Delirium in Palliative Medicine

Abstract

An open study was carried out on the usefulness of quetiapine (QTP) in 21 patients with cancer diagnosed as having delirium during management as inpatients at the Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital between July and December 2010 (6 months). The severity of delirium was rated with Delirium Rating Scale Revised 98 (DRS-R98). The QTP dose level was initially set at 50 mg and was increased every day until the DRS-R98 score was improved by 50% or more. The mean DRS-R98 score improved significantly from 20.6 to 6.7. The mean dose level was 147.3 mg, and it took 2.0 days on average until improvement in the DRS-R98 score. The burden/stress in caregivers and nurses in charge arising from care for the patients was evaluated on visual analogue scale (VAS). The mean VAS score improved significantly from 6.8 to 1.6. As adverse events, drowsiness and dizziness were noted in one case each, but they subsided after dose reduction. There was no case where medication was discontinued for reason of adverse events.