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Home › Conditions › Delirium

Delirium

14 published articles · Updated continuously

Clinical Trial Landscape

Clinical Trials for Delirium

48 trials tracked for Delirium: 14 in phase 3 or 4 and 11 with published results. The most-cited published study has 587 citations.

48Trials tracked
14Phase 3 & 4
0Recruiting
11With published results
Phase distribution
Phase 4 8 Phase 3 6 Phase 2 7 Other / NA 27
  1. Phase 3 The Modifying the Impact of ICU-Associated Neurological Dysfunction-USA (MIND-USA) Study Completed · 587 cited
  2. Phase 3 The Prevention of Delirium and Complications Associated With Surgical Treatments Multi Center Clinical Trial Completed · 502 cited
  3. Phase 4 Dexmedetomidine and IV Acetaminophen for the Prevention of Postoperative Delirium Following Cardiac Surgery Completed · 323 cited
  4. Phase 3 The MENDS2 Study, Maximizing the Efficacy of Sedation and Reducing Neurological Dysfunction and Mortality in Septic Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure Completed · 289 cited
  5. Phase 4 Dexmedetomidine and Delirium in Patients After Cardiac Surgery Completed · 162 cited
  6. Phase 4 Dexmedetomidine Versus Morphine and Midazolam in Prevention and Treatment of Delirium After Adult Cardiac Surgery Completed · 51 cited
Show 42 more trials
  1. Phase 4 Preventing Post-Operative Delirium in Patients Undergoing a Pneumonectomy, Esophagectomy or Thoracotomy Completed · 47 cited
  2. Phase 3 Efficacy and Safety of Suvorexant (MK-4305) for Reducing Incidence of Delirium in Japanese Participants at High Risk of Delirium (MK-4305-085) Completed · 31 cited
  3. Phase 3 The Effect of Guanfacine on Delirium in Critically Ill Patients Completed · 26 cited
  4. Phase 3 Effects of Dexmedetomidine on Delirium Duration of Non-intubated ICU Patients (4D Trial) Completed · 22 cited
  5. Phase 4 Nicotine Replacement Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit Completed · 17 cited
  6. Phase 4 Feasibility of Prophylactic Haldol to Prevent Delirium in Cancer Patients Completed
  7. Phase 4 Dexmedetomidine to Prevent Agitation After Free Flap Surgery Completed
  8. Phase 4 Rivastigmine in the Treatment of Postoperative Delirium: a Pilot Clinical Trial Completed
  9. Phase 2 Ramelteon in the Prevention of Post-operative Delirium Completed
  10. Phase 2 The Impact of Ketamine on Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction, Delirium, and Renal Dysfunction Completed
  11. Phase 2 High Dose Intravenous Thiamine for the Prevention of Delirium in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Completed
  12. Phase 2 Maximizing trEatment of Neurological Dysfunction Using INtravenous Guanfacine Study Completed
  13. Phase 2 Supporting the Health of Adults Undergoing Orthopedic Surgery During the Recovery Period Completed
  14. Phase 2 Care.Coach Avatars for Improvement of Outcomes in Hospitalized Elders, Including Mitigation of Falls and Delirium: a Multi-Site Clinical Study Completed
  15. Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial of Dexmedetomidine for the Treatment of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Delirium Completed
  16. N/A Delirium and EuroSCORE II in Cardiac Surgery Completed
  17. N/A Pathway to Detection & Differentiation of Delirium & Dementia in the Emergency Department Completed
  18. N/A Cognitive Recovery After Electroconvulsive Therapy and General Anesthesia Completed
  19. N/A Effects of Scenario-based Education Initiative and OSCE for Recognition and Management of Delirium Completed
  20. N/A Examining the Association Between Pre-existing Sleep Disturbance and Postoperative Delirium Completed
  21. N/A Optimizing Cerebral Autoregulation During Surgery Completed
  22. N/A Nursing Assistant Intervention to Prevent Delirium in Nursing Homes Completed
  23. N/A Post-Operative Delirium in Elderly Surgical Patients Completed
  24. N/A EEG - Guided Anesthetic Care and Postoperative Delirium Completed
  25. N/A Prevention of Early Postoperative Decline Completed
  26. N/A Implementation of Multidisciplinary Assessments for Geriatric Patients in an ED Observation Unit Completed
  27. N/A Delirium in the Emergency Department: Novel Screening Completed
  28. N/A Pharmacological Management of Delirium Completed
  29. N/A Feasibility and Acceptability of Using Weighted Blankets to Prevent and /or Mitigate Delirium Completed
  30. N/A Recommendations and Alerting for Delirium Alleviation in Real-Time (RADAR) Completed
  31. N/A Acupuncture for Sedation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Completed
  32. N/A Postoperative Delirium: Brain Vulnerability and Recovery Completed
  33. N/A Effect of CPAP on Postoperative Delirium Completed
  34. N/A Determining the Preliminary Efficacy of the Emergency Department Delirium Screening and Detection Program Completed
  35. N/A Short-term Atorvastatin's Effect on Acute Kidney Injury Following Cardiac Surgery Completed
  36. N/A Family Automated Voice Reorientation Study Completed
  37. N/A Implementation Outcome Assessments of the Emergency Department Delirium Screening and Detection Program Completed
  38. N/A Feasibility and Acceptability of ReCognitionVR-based Cognitive Stimulation in Surgical Patients Completed
  39. N/A Early Cognitive Intervention in Delirium Completed
  40. N/A A Trial To Assess Risk of Delirium in Older Adults Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery With Spinal or General Anesthesia Completed
  41. N/A Study of Melatonin on Sleep, Pain, and Confusion After Joint Replacement Surgery Completed
  42. N/A Improving the Recovery and Outcome Every Day After the ICU Completed

Showing the 48 most-cited and recently-updated of 48 trials. Browse the full registry →

Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Counts describe the research landscape and are not a treatment recommendation. Informational only — not medical advice.

What the trials found Updated — new results For clinicians

Delirium: what the trials found

Several pharmacological interventions have been evaluated for the management of delirium. Dexmedetomidine was studied across multiple trials, with results showing specific metrics such as duration of agitation 1, duration of delirium 1, and delirium/coma-free days (DCFDs) 17. One study noted that dexmedetomidine did not significantly impact the incidence of postoperative delirium or cognitive function 8, while another trial reported a mean of 8 to 7.5 DCFDs 17.

Haloperidol was evaluated for its efficacy in reducing days with delirium 10 and providing delirium/coma-free days 15. Other pharmacological agents investigated include Suvorexant, which showed no significant difference in the percentage of patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for delirium or on the DRS-R-98 scale 18, and Guanfacine, which did not show a statistically significant difference in days without delirium 19 or days alive without delirium or coma 20.

Ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) was evaluated in a trial where no significant differences were found regarding the incidence of delirium over post-operative days 1-3, maximum daily pain, or median opioid consumption 16. Other interventions included transdermal nicotine patches 11 and rivastigmine patches 14.

Recent results — preliminary, needs further review

  • Evaluation of screening tools including the ED Delirium Screening and Detection Program (ED-DDP) [3, 5] and geriatric screening tools 6.
  • Use of a weighted blanket in an ICU setting, which recorded average usage of 2 hours per day 4.
  • Assessment of risk scores using EuroSCORE II and CAM-ICU 2.

For the clinician treating this condition

  • Dexmedetomidine has been studied extensively for delirium management; however, data on its impact on postoperative delirium incidence and cognitive function did not show statistically significant differences in specific trials 8.
  • Haloperidol is established as an intervention for reducing days with delirium 10 and increasing delirium/coma-free days 15.
  • Pharmacological agents such as Suvorexant and Guanfacine did not demonstrate statistically significant improvements in delirium duration or frequency in the reported trials [18, 19, 20].

AI synthesis of 14 cited trials, updated Jun 25, 2026. Informational only — not medical advice; trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. How we use AI.

HCP Mode — summaries include clinical detail, trial data, and statistical outcomes.
Patient Mode — summaries use plain language, avoiding clinical jargon.
Prediction models for mortality in ICU patients with delirium show fair discrimination
Physical Medicine & Rehab RCT
Prediction models for mortality in ICU patients with delirium show fair discrimination Study develops models to predict mortality risk in ICU patients with delirium
This substudy of the AID-ICU trial developed clinical prediction models for 90-day and 1-year mortality in 632 adult ICU patients with delir…
New models using age, frailty, and cancer history can predict which ICU patients with delirium face higher risks of dying within 90 days or …
Apr 3, 2026
Benzodiazepines, Dexmedetomidine, and Physical Restraints Associated with Next-Day Delirium in Critically Ill Children
Pediatrics RCT
Benzodiazepines, Dexmedetomidine, and Physical Restraints Associated with Next-Day Delirium in Critically Ill Children Study finds link between certain medications, restraints, and delirium in critically ill children
A secondary analysis of a pilot RCT dataset in 1,006 critically ill children across seven PICUs found previous-day benzodiazepine and dexmed…
Higher doses of sedatives like midazolam and any use of physical restraints are linked to increased confusion in critically ill children the…
Apr 3, 2026

Questions about Delirium

Can doctors predict how likely a patient with delirium is to die?

Yes, doctors can estimate mortality risk in delirious ICU patients using prediction models, but accuracy is moderate (AUC ~0.74) and not precise enough for individual prognosis.

Full answer →
Do low-use wrist restraints help patients stay free of delirium longer?

No, a low-use wrist restraint strategy does not improve delirium-free days compared to a high-use strategy in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.

Full answer →
How common is delirium in patients with advanced cancer?

Delirium is very common in advanced cancer, affecting about 35% of patients overall and over 80% in the final days of life.

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