Delirium Tremens (DTs): Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology (2024)

Author

Shannon Toohey, MD, MAEd Residency Program Director, HS Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine

Shannon Toohey, MD, MAEd is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, California American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

David A Kaufman, MD Associate Professor (Clinical), Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; Attending Physician, NYU-Langone Medical Center

David A Kaufman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Thoracic Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine

Disclosure: Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for: FloSonics Medical; Retia Medical; Pulsion Medical Systems (now Getinge/Maquet)<br/>Serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Pulsion Medical Systems (now Getinge/Maquet)<br/>Received research grant from: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Cheetah Medical (now Baxter); Fisher and Paykel.

Additional Contributors

James B Price, MD Attending Emergency Physician, Mission Hospital; Clinical Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

James B Price, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michael James Burns, MD, FACEP, FACP, FIDSA Health Science Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine School of Medicine

Michael James Burns, MD, FACEP, FACP, FIDSA is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, California Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Phi Beta Kappa, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michael E Lekawa, MD, FACS Professor of Surgery, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine; Chief, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Care, Director of Trauma Services, Director of Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Director of Student Critical Care Teaching Program, Medical Director of Surgery Clinics, University of California, Irvine Medical Center

Michael E Lekawa, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American College of Surgeons, Society of Critical Care Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP Professor of Emergency Medicine, Professor of Internal Medicine, Program Director, Emergency Medicine, Case Medical Center, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Thoracic Society, Arkansas Medical Society, New York Academy of Medicine, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

William K Chiang, MD Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine; Chief of Service, Department of Emergency Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center

William K Chiang, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, American College of Medical Toxicology, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

William G Gossman, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center

William G Gossman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

J Stephen Huff, MD Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Neurology, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine

J Stephen Huff, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Lisa Kirkland, MD, FACP, CNSP, MSHA Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, Mayo Clinic; ANW Intensivists, Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Lisa Kirkland, MD, FACP, CNSP, MSHA is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Society of Hospital Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Harold L Manning, MD Professor, Departments of Medicine, Anesthesiology and Physiology, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School

Harold L Manning, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and American Thoracic Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sacred Heart and St Joseph's Hospitals

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sage W Wiener, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center; Assistant Director of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center

Sage W Wiener, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Medical Toxicology, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Anne Yim, MD Resident Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital and State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Anne Yim, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Delirium Tremens (DTs): Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology (2024)

FAQs

Delirium Tremens (DTs): Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology? ›

Practice Essentials

What is DTs in physiology? ›

The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is the principal visceral sensory nucleus in the brain and comprises neurochemically and biophysically distinct neurons located in the dorsomedial medulla oblongata.

What does DTs mean in psychology? ›

Share button. a potentially fatal alcohol withdrawal syndrome involving extreme agitation and anxiety, paranoia, visual and tactile hallucinations, disorientation, tremors, sweating, and increased heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure.

What is an accurate definition of delirium tremens? ›

Delirium tremens is a severe form of alcohol withdrawal. It involves sudden and severe mental or nervous system changes.

What does DTs mean in clinical trials? ›

DTS Is The Name For Quality Clinical Trial Translations

We translate drug and medical device trial documentation for Institutional Review Board (IRB), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, as well as for approval by international agencies such as the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA).

What is the principle of DTs? ›

The underlying principle of distributed temperature sensing is a Raman scattering-based temperature measurement combined with optical time-domain reflectometry. To generate back-scattered light, a DTS unit launches a short pulse of light into an optical fibre.

What is the function of DTs? ›

The MDX DTS function calculates period-to-date values using built-in Dynamic Time Series functionality on Essbase block storage databases. The Dynamic Time Series member for which to return values.

What is the pathophysiology of delirium? ›

Pathophysiology of Delirium

Stress of any kind upregulates sympathetic tone and downregulates parasympathetic tone, impairing cholinergic function and thus contributing to delirium. Older people are particularly vulnerable to reduced cholinergic transmission, increasing their risk of delirium.

What is the mechanism of delirium tremens? ›

Over time, through prolonged alcohol exposure, there is a decrease in GABA activity and alteration in the type of GABA receptor and function. Abrupt cessation of alcohol causes a decrease in the inhibitory actions of the GABA neurotransmitter, resulting in overactivity of the central nervous system.

What is the mortality rate of DTs? ›

Without treatment, about 15% of people with DTs don't survive. The risk of death is also higher if you have other severe medical conditions. With treatment, the survival rate of DTs is about 95%.

What does delirium tremens look like? ›

Signs and symptoms can include the following: Minor withdrawal: Tremor, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and insomnia. Major withdrawal: Visual hallucinations and auditory hallucinations, whole body tremor, vomiting, diaphoresis, and hypertension. Withdrawal seizures.

What does DTs tell you? ›

DTS only predicts the credit risk of the bonds, not their default risk. In our example, investors clearly perceive bond A to be riskier, as its credit spread is the highest of the two bonds. To predict default risk, one could use credit ratings or distress risk measures, such as distance-to-default.

What are the criteria for delirium tremens? ›

With the CAM-ICU, delirium is diagnosed when patients demonstrate: (1) an acute change in mental status or fluctuating changes in mental status; (2) inattention measured using either an auditory or visual test; and either (3) disorganized thinking; or (4) an altered level of consciousness.

What does DTs stand for in medical terms? ›

Delirium tremens (DTs), also known as alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD), is the most severe form of ethanol withdrawal. It should be considered a medical emergency with a high mortality rate, making early recognition and treatment essential. Profound global confusion is the hallmark of delirium tremens.

What is the meaning of DTs? ›

Delirium tremens (DTs) is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal. This condition can sometimes be life-threatening. DTs is possible when someone with alcohol use disorder, especially moderate or severe alcohol use disorder, suddenly stops drinking entirely.

What are DTs in neurology? ›

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs when the median nerve, which runs from your forearm, through your wrist, into the palm of your hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist.

What is the meaning of DTs in system? ›

Data Transformation Services (DTS) is a Microsoft database tool with a set of objects and utilities to allow the automation of extract, transform and load operations to or from a database.

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