Delayed Treatment of Delirium Increases Mortality Rate in Intensive Care Unit Patients

• Published in: Journal of international medical research Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 1584 - 1595
• Main Authors: Heymann, A, Radtke, F, Schiemann, A, Lütz, A, MacGuill, M, Wernecke, KD, Spies, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-09-2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Critical Illness - mortality; Critical Illness - therapy; Cross Infection - etiology; Delirium - complications; Delirium - mortality; Female; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Length of Stay; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Respiration, Artificial; Survival Rate; Young Adult; Delirium; Therapy; Therapy delay; Outcome; Intensive care unit
• ISSN: 0300-0605; 1473-2300
• DOI: 10.1177/147323001003800503

Delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a serious complication associated with a poor outcome in critically ill patients. In this prospective observational study of the effect of a delay in delirium therapy on mortality rate, 418 ICU patients were regularly assessed using the Delirium Detection Score (DDS). The departmental standard required that if delirium was diagnosed (DDS > 7), therapy should be started within 24 h. In total, 204 patients (48.8%) were delirious during their ICU stay. In 184 of the delirious patients (90.2%), therapy was started within 24 h; in 20 patients (9.8%), therapy was delayed. During their ICU stay, patients whose delirium treatment was delayed were more frequently mechanically ventilated, had more nosocomial infections (including pneumonia) and had a higher mortality rate than patients whose treatment was not delayed. Thus, it would appear that a delay in initiating delirium therapy in ICU patients was associated with increased mortality.