Abstract WP116: A Pilot Study Of The Fluctuating Mental Status Evaluation: A Novel Delirium Screening Tool For Patients With Stroke

Abstract

Background: Delirium occurs frequently in patients with stroke but is often underrecognized. We aimed to develop a novel delirium screening tool designed specifically for stroke patients, and to test its feasibility and accuracy in a pilot study. Methods: We designed an easy-to-use 5-point instrument called the Fluctuating Mental Status Evaluation (FMSE) and tested it in a cohort of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who had daily delirium assessments throughout their admission. Expert ratings were performed by an attending neurointensivist or behavioral neurologist each afternoon using DSM-5 criteria, and were derived from bedside assessments and clinical data from the preceding 24 hours. Paired FMSE assessments were performed by patients’ clinical nurses after brief training on the use of the tool. Nursing assessments were aggregated over 24-hour periods (including day and night shifts), and accuracy of the FMSE was analyzed on both a per-assessment day and per-patient basis. Results: Among the 40 enrolled patients (mean age 71.1±12.2, median initial NIHSS score 16.5 [IQR 12-20]), 34 experienced delirium during their hospitalization. There were 306 total coma-free days with paired assessments, of which 208 (68%) were rated as days with delirium. Compared to expert ratings, an FMSE score ≥1 had 86% sensitivity and 74% specificity on a per-day basis, while a score ≥2 had 68% sensitivity and 83% specificity. On a per-patient basis, a score ≥1 at any point during admission had 97% sensitivity and 67% specificity in identifying patients who experienced delirium, while a score ≥2 had 94% sensitivity and 67% specificity. Conclusion: The FMSE is a feasible delirium screening tool in ICH patients, with high real-world sensitivity and specificity. Based on these results, we plan to validate the tool in a larger, more diverse cohort of stroke patients, using score cutoffs of ≥1 as “possible” delirium and ≥2 as “probable” delirium.