ABSTRACT
Delirium involves an acute (minutes to hours), transient disturbance in consciousness and cognition. It is manifested by:
1. Disorientation 2. Disorganized and inconsistent thought processes 3. Inability to distinguish reality from hallucinations 4. Disturbances in speech; disorientation to time and place; misidenti-
cation of individuals 5. Termed excited delirium when it involves combative or violent behavior
Introduction 197 History 198 Present 198 Alleged Causes of Death in EDS 200
Neck Holds 200 Positional or Restraint Asphyxia 201
What Is the Cause of EDS? 202 Drugs: erapeutic and Illicit 206
Psychotropic Drugs 208 Polymorphism 208 Prevention of Deaths Due to EDS 209
e Police 209 Deescalating the Situation 209 Restraint 210
Hospital Setting 210 Bibliography 211
Excited delirium syndrome (EDS) involves the sudden death of an individual during or following an episode of excited delirium and for which an autopsy fails to reveal evidence of sucient trauma or natural disease to explain the death. In virtually all such cases, the episode of excited delirium is terminated by
1. A struggle with police or medical personnel 2. e use of physical restraint
In regard to the individual dying of EDS,
1. e individual may go into cardiopulmonary arrest during or within minutes following cessation of the struggle, rarely a few hours later.
