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Delirium and Neuropsychological Recovery After Emergency Surgery

This study is testing a program called DANE Recovery Program to see if it helps older adults (65 and up) who have experienced delirium (a state of confusion) after emergency surgery. The DANE Recovery Program involves virtual visits with a care coordinator to create a personalized recovery plan. Researchers want to see if this program improves your thinking, physical abilities, and emotional well-being over 18 months compared to usual care. You might be able to join if you're 65 or older, had emergency abdominal, orthopedic, skin, or vascular surgery, speak English, and can use a phone or internet device. The study's current status is unclear.

Study design
This is a multi-site, randomized controlled trial with two groups, involving 528 participants. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the DANE Recovery Model or usual care.
What's involved
You will have virtual visits with a care coordinator and complete physical, cognitive, and psychological assessments. You can expect to be in the study for 18 months.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your cognitive recovery will be measured at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months after starting the study.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT05373017

Delirium and Neuropsychological Recovery Among Emergency General Surgery Survivors

Active, Not Recruiting
NAAges 65+InterventionalTreatment
University of Wisconsin, Madison
~528 participants
Updated 2026-07-07 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:DANE Recovery ProgramQuestionnaires

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 6 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in overall cognitive recovery
Measured over Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months

Conditions

Delirium

Explore related trials

Delirium

Where it's being run

6 sites across 3 states
Wisconsin4
Illinois1
Indiana1

Study leadership

  • Ben Zarzaur, MD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Wisconsin, Madison

Who to contact

This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov

Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Adult age 65 years and older
Admitted to one of the participating hospitals
Undergone an abdominal orthopedic, skin, or vascular surgery in an emergency or unplanned fashion
English-speaking
Able to provide consent or have a legally authorized representative to provide consent
Access to a telephone or an internet connected computer or smart device
Discharged to home or sub-acute rehabilitation
At least one episode of delirium or subsyndromal delirium, i.e. screen positive on at least one out of the four items on the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU (CAM-ICU) in the period prior to discharge from acute care.

Exclusion

A self-reported diagnosis of cancer with short life expectancy
A history of dementing illnesses and other neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson disease, or vascular dementia, or current prescription of anti-dementia medication, or ruled out by Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) score defining dementia; a history of significant traumatic brain injury
Acute or subacute neurologic deficit expected to prevent independent living after hospital discharge, e.g., a history of a significant traumatic brain injury
Have any spinal cord injury with persistent neurologic deficit at the time of study enrollment
Incarcerated or homeless at the time of study enrollment
Acquired neurologic injury (stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral edema/swelling, anoxic brain injury, or any other acute/subacute severe neurologic deficit) as the admitting diagnosis or a new event during the course of hospitalization (confirmed by EMR)
A history of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia (confirmed by EMR)

What this trial measures

  • Change in overall cognitive recoveryBaseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months

    Change in score on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) cognitive screening assessment. The measure consists of 12 subtests that contribute to a total score and Index scores across five domains: Immediate Memory, Visuospatial-Constructional, Language, Attention, and Delayed Memory. Index scores are converted to age-based standard scores (Mean = 100, Standard Deviation = 15)