Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit
30% of critically ill patients in Canadian ICU develop delirium.
60-80% of mechanically ventilated patients will develop delirium during their ICU stay.
ICU delirium is a serious problem in today's hospitals and has been clearly linked to increased length of stay in hospital, higher healthcare costs, increased 6 month mortality, less time off a ventilator and increased likelihood of cognitive impairment at time of discharge. Despite these negative sequelae, ICU delirium still goes highly undiagnosed.
This website has been designed to educate new clinicians on ICU delirium: its etiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, assessment/diagnosis and provide a multi-modal treatment approach.
This website has been designed to educate new clinicians on ICU delirium: its etiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, assessment/diagnosis and provide a multi-modal treatment approach.
References:
- Ouimet et al. 2007. Incidence, risk factors and consequences of ICU delirium. Intensive Care Medicine; 33:66-73.
- Ely et al. 2004. Delirium as a Predictor of Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the Intensive Care Unit. JAMA; 291(14)1753-1762.
- Milbrandt et al. 2004. Costs associated with delirium in mechanically ventilated patients. Crit Care Med; 32(4) 955-62. 9+955-62.