Emergency delirium recovery in older surgical patients treated with collaborative care
Official title: Emergency General Surgery Delirium Recovery Model: A Collaborative Care Intervention
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11382959 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program tests a team-based care approach to help older patients recover from delirium after emergency general surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,052,374 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG076489-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11382959 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults (65+) who experience delirium during or after emergency general surgery and who could benefit from coordinated, team-based care.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without delirium or those unable to participate in coordinated follow-up may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on older adults who develop delirium during an emergency general surgery hospitalization. It tests how a collaborative care model, coordinating primary care and specialty teams, can reduce cognitive and functional decline after the delirium episode. The study builds on two decades of experience with team-based care and aims to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for older surgical survivors. Participants would receive integrated support to address medical, psychological, and daily living needs during and after hospitalization.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could lessen cognitive and functional losses after delirium and reduce hospital readmissions for older surgical patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous collaborative care models have improved outcomes for complex patients, but this specific delirium-focused approach in emergency general surgery is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zarzaur, Ben L — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Zarzaur, Ben L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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READI-SET-GO: Improving Delirium Screening for Hospitalized Older Adults
A hospital-based program tests how well routine nurse delirium screening using UB-CAM works when integrated into the electronic health record to improve outcomes for older patients.
-
Continuous wearable monitor with AI to prevent agitation and delirium in hospitalized older adults
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-
Low brain changes from anesthesia may signal early Alzheimer's risk
A study at Stanford will look at whether brain responses to anesthesia during surgery reveal early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and delirium risk in people aged 65 and up.
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Why dementia and sudden confusion (delirium) often happen together
This project looks at brain electrical signals and chemical changes to find why people with dementia sometimes develop sudden confusion called delirium.
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AKI-related delirium after heart surgery
This grant funds research to understand why some people develop delirium after heart surgery when they also have acute kidney injury.
-
Lipocalin-2 and delirium after surgery in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
A study at Duke University looks at how an inflammatory protein called lipocalin-2 may trigger delirium after surgery, especially in people at risk for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.