Prevalence of delirium in intensive care patients and association with sedoanalgesia, severity and mortality.

Abstract

To establish the prevalence of delirium and its subsyndrome in intensive care and to associate it with the use of sedative and analgesia, severity and mortality. Carried out in two intensive care units of adult patients, this is a quantitative and transversal study, with 157 patients, using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale to assess the level of sedation and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist for delirium. The T test and Chi-square test were applied for statistical analysis. The prevalence of delirium was 22.3%, and 49.7% of the subsyndrome. Associations of the use of midazolam with the presence of delirium (p=0.05) and subsyndromal delirium (p<0.01), use of clonidine with the appearance of delirium (p<0.01) and of fentanyl with subsyndromal delirium (p=0.09). There were no significant differences between the mortality of patients with delirium (p=0.40) and subsyndromal delirium (p=0.86), as well as association with the mortality score. The use of sedoanalgesia is associated with the presence of delirium and subsyndromal delirium. No significant statistical associations were found between the severity and mortality scores.