Main features of diagnosis and treatment of delirium in icu patients: a systematic review

Abstract

Relevance. Delirium is a severe neuropsychiatric syndrome, which is a common problem in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Recently published works indicate a insufficiency of awareness about the key principles of diagnosis and treatment of this condition. The aim of the study is to analyze and summarize data on algorithms that allow the identification and correction of delirium in patients in the intensive care unit. Materials and methods. A comprehensive search was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed and eLIBRARY. The review includes searchable publications for May 2023. Results. A literature review identified five adult delirium screening tools that have been validated against The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic criteria for delirium. Prospects for improving clinical outcomes are multi-component programs with a large number of strategies aimed at assessing, preventing and treating delirium in the ICU. Conclusion. It is necessary to use validated screening tools, as well as implement preventive strategies such as ABCDEF. Prevention of delirium in the ICU by determining the level of risk, eliminating etiological development factors and early multimodal therapy should be included in the standard algorithm from the moment the patient is admitted to the hospital in order to reduce hospital mortality.