Minocycline Effectively Prevents Delirium in Critical Patients: CHEST

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-12-21T02:15:42+05:30 | Updated On 21 Dec 2023 12:06 PM IST

In a recent study, Filipe Dal-Pizzol and colleagues explored the potential of minocycline in preventing delirium among critically ill patients. Delirium, a severe form of acute encephalopathy, poses significant risks to patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The findings were published in CHEST Journal.

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial conducted across four ICUs and aimed to determine if minocycline could be a potential drug in managing this occurrence of delirium. This research included 159 patients and revealed a significant decrease in delirium incidence among those treated with minocycline. Compared to the placebo group, the minocycline recipients showed a lower occurrence of delirium (20% vs. 35%), marking a small but statistically significant improvement.

Beyond delirium incidence, the study explored various secondary outcomes such as delirium/coma free days, length of mechanical ventilation, and mortality rates. Intriguingly, minocycline treatment unexpectedly correlated with a significant decrease in hospital mortality (23% vs. 39%). This unanticipated finding adds a layer of complexity to the potential benefits of minocycline in critical care.

Exploratory outcomes involved monitoring inflammatory and brain-related biomarkers. While the study found a significant decrease in plasma levels of C-reactive protein after minocycline treatment, the broader implications of these changes are yet to be fully understood.

This study opens a promising avenue for future research into the use of minocycline as a neuroprotective agent in critical care settings. The potential to mitigate delirium, coupled with unexpected reductions in mortality, underscores the urgency of more extensive studies to validate these findings and explore the broader applications of minocycline in critical care protocols. Larger and well-structured studies are crucial to confirm the potential benefits of minocycline as a preventive measure against delirium in critically ill patients.

Reference:

Dal-Pizzol, F., Coelho, A., Simon, C. S., Michels, M., Corneo, E., Jeremias, A., Damásio, D., & Ritter, C. (2023). Prophylactic minocycline for delirium in critically ill patients: a randomized controlled trial. In CHEST. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.11.041

CHEST JournaldeliriumminocyclineCritical care

Source : CHEST Journal

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751