Condition (MeSH)
Delirium
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1,496 trials for Delirium or a narrower condition beneath it.
Search trials, drugs, companies and investigators, and follow each one to the others. Individual plan, $249/seat/mo. Card required.
Trials per phase (log scale)
877 of the 1,496 trials are tagged with Delirium itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.
When did Delirium trials start? (27)
Shown in this order: most recent first, 1990 onwards. 2026 is partial: trials registered with a 2026 start date so far, not a full year. 5 trials are registered to start in 2027 or later, and not listed here.
Trials over time, by phase
- Phase 1
- Phase 1/2
- Phase 2
- Phase 2/3
- Phase 3
- Phase 4
- Not applicable
- Observational
Top of scale: 143
Trials registered with a start date in each year, 1990 onward, stacked by phase (complete years only; the current partial year is in the table's notes). The table below lists the same counts, most recent years first.
| Year | Trials started |
|---|---|
| 2026 (partial year) | 155 |
| 2025 | 108 |
| 2024 | 143 |
| 2023 | 126 |
| 2022 | 96 |
| 2021 | 110 |
| 2020 | 90 |
| 2019 | 96 |
| 2018 | 73 |
| 2017 | 86 |
Showing 10 of 27 earlier years.
Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 170 trials starting in 2026 and about 140 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward. The rows of this table count trials registered so far with a start date in the year, planned starts included; the forecast looks ahead to the count for the whole year, so it is not the same measure. In backtests on conditions of this size, forecasts made part-way through the year were typically off by about 13 percent and ran about 12 percent low against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 19 percent and ran about 17 percent low against the count later registered, and had about the same error as repeating last year's count. These figures rest on a few years of history (target years from 2018 to 2025, varying by figure), place each condition as it is mapped today rather than as it was then, and score against a count for the newest year that was still being revised. Only condition series were scored.
Prediction, not a registry value: median of 34 months from start to primary completion across 126 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 18 months across 812 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.
What phase are Delirium trials in? (8)
Shown in this order: phase order.
Show the trials by phase as a table
| Phase | Trials |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 26 |
| Phase 1/2 | 12 |
| Phase 2 | 48 |
| Phase 2/3 | 20 |
| Phase 3 | 77 |
| Phase 4 | 173 |
| Not applicable | 574 |
| Observational | 566 |
How many Delirium trials are recruiting? (9)
Shown in this order: the order a trial moves through, from not yet recruiting to unknown.
| Status | Trials |
|---|---|
| Not yet recruiting | 134 |
| Recruiting | 192 |
| Enrolling by invitation | 6 |
| Active, not recruiting | 45 |
| Completed | 712 |
Showing 5 of 9 statuses.
Status as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial is counted once.
Which drugs are being tested for Delirium? (6)
Shown in this order: most trials first. One row per drug, matched to a single molecule under all its names, ranked by number of trials.
| Drug | Trials |
|---|---|
| DEXMEDETOMIDINE | 149 |
| PROPOFOL | 63 |
| PMI-150 (intranasal ketamine) | 20 |
| FENTANYL | 19 |
| Desflurane | 10 |
Showing 5 of 6 drugs.
Interventions as named in the registry (9)
Shown in this order: most trials first.
| Drug | Trials |
|---|---|
| 1% Sevoflurane | 40 |
| Haloperidol-Haloperidol | 24 |
| Melatonin PR | 23 |
| D. Midazolam | 22 |
| Remimazolam TIVA | 12 |
Showing 5 of 9 interventions.
These are the names sponsors entered on ClinicalTrials.gov that we have not matched to a single molecule. Some are drugs under a brand or code name; others are procedures, doses or arm labels.
Which serious adverse events do Delirium trials report? (10)
Shown in this order: most subjects affected first. Subjects affected summed across trials, a cross-trial signal, not a rate.
| Adverse event | Subjects affected | Trials |
|---|---|---|
| Patients with Respiratory | 77 | 1 |
| Patients with Cardiovascular | 53 | 1 |
| Respiratory Failures | 48 | 1 |
| Hospital admission | 37 | 1 |
| Other GI event | 32 | 1 |
Showing 5 of 10 adverse events.
Which publications cover Delirium? (1,589)
Shown in this order: major-topic papers first, then newest, then most linked to trials.
| Publication | Journal | Year | Major topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Predictive Power of Intraoperative EEG and Clinical Characteristics for Postoperative Delirium Following Cardiac Surgery. | Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society | 2026 | Yes |
| Effect of melatonin versus placebo for the prevention of delirium among medically hospitalised older patients: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial (project RESTORE). | BMJ open | 2026 | Yes |
| Older Patients' Postoperative Neurocognitive Recovery: A Narrative Review. | Clinical interventions in aging | 2025 | Yes |
| Effect of Intraoperative Midazolam on Postoperative Delirium in Older Surgical Patients: A Prospective, Multicenter Cohort Study. | Anesthesiology | 2025 | Yes |
| A Focused Update to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Anxiety, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. | Critical care medicine | 2025 | Yes |
Showing 5 of 1,589 publications.
Sub-conditions in MeSH (1)
MeSH descendants one level down with at least one trial, most trials first.
Not on this page
Not measured: delivery record.
Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: lead sponsors, prevalence, and rare-disease identity.