High Risk For Delirium Research Articles

Comparison of the Validity of the PRE-DELIRIC model and the E-PRE-DELIRIC model for Predicting Delirium in patients after Cardiac Surgery

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the validity of the PRE-DELIRIC model and E-PRE-DELIRIC model.Methods: Patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a tertiary hospital between January 2019 and December 2022 were included. The presence or absence of delirium was determined based on risk groups, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power were verified using the Youden index. Receiver operating characteristic curves were derived for the PRE-DELIRIC model and E-PRE-DELIRIC model, the area under the curve was calculated, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was presented.Results: The incidence of delirium was 28.8%. The average scores of the PRE-DELIRIC model and E-PRE-DELIRIC model were 49.72±29.91 and 18.14±0.41, respectively. In the PRE-DELIRIC model, for which a cut-off point of 14.05 was established using the Youden index, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power were 64.8%, 83.2%, 61.0%, and 85.4%, respectively. In the E-PRE-DELIRIC model, with a cut-off point of 64.01, the corresponding indicators were 73.1%, 51.5%, 37.8%, and 82.6%, respectively. The areas under the curve for the PRE-DELIRIC model and the E-PRE-DELIRIC model were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.74~0.82) and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.61~0.69), respectively.Conclusion: It may be helpful to use both the E-PRE-DELIRIC and PRE-DELIRIC models. The two prediction models are expected to help improve the quality of nursing for the early detection and prevention of delirium, enabling intensive observations and interventions for patients at high risk of delirium.

Suvorexant for Reduction of Delirium in Older Adults After Hospitalization

Delirium is common among older hospitalized adults. In addition to presenting immediate management issues, delirium can increase the long-term risk of dementia, institutionalization, and mortality. Delirium is associated with disrupted sleep, and prior studies suggest that some specific sleep-promoting agents may reduce delirium. To evaluate the orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant for reducing delirium in older adults at high risk for delirium after hospitalization. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 randomized clinical trial was conducted at 50 hospitals in Japan between October 22, 2020, and December 23, 2022. The study population included Japanese adults aged 65 to 90 years who were at high risk for delirium (mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, history of delirium at prior hospitalization, or both) and had been hospitalized for acute disease or elective surgery. Data analysis was performed between January 23 and March 13, 2023. Participants were randomized 1:1 to suvorexant (15 mg) or placebo taken at bedtime for up to 7 days while in the hospital. Delirium, the primary end point, was diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria while participants were hospitalized. The treatment difference in the proportion of participants with delirium was analyzed. This study included 203 participants: 101 were treated with suvorexant (mean [SD] age, 81.5 [4.5]; years; 52 men [51.5%] and 49 women [48.5%]) and 102 received placebo (mean [SD] age, 82.0 [4.9] years; 45 men [44.1%] and 57 women [55.9%]). There were 17 participants with delirium (16.8%) in the suvorexant group compared with 27 (26.5%) in the placebo group (difference, -8.7% [95% CI, -20.1% to 2.6%]; P = .13). Adverse events were similar between the 2 groups. In this randomized clinical trial of suvorexant in older adults at high risk for delirium after hospitalization, fewer participants taking suvorexant had delirium compared with placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant. Further studies are needed to determine whether suvorexant may be useful for reducing delirium, particularly delirium with a hyperactive component, in this population. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04571944.

Associations of serum lactate and lactate clearance with delirium in the early stage of ICU: a retrospective cohort study of the MIMIC-IV database.

This study aimed to investigate the associations of serum lactate level [within and after 24 h of the intensive care unit (ICU) admission] and lactate clearance rate with delirium and assess associations of lactate and lactate clearance rate with 30-day mortality in delirium patients. Data in this retrospective cohort study were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database in 2012-2019. The associations of lactate and lactate clearance rate with delirium were explored through univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses, whereas the associations of lactate and lactate clearance rate with 30-day mortality in delirium patients were investigated using univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Subgroup analysis was performed for age, gender, sepsis, hypertension, sedative drug, ventilation, antibiotic drug, vasopressors, and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. The evaluation indexes were odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among 7,812 (14.58%) eligible participants, 4,338 (8.19%) had delirium and 1,903 (24.36%) died within 30 days. After adjusting for covariates, patients with lactic acidosis (lactate level > 5 mmol/L and PH < 7.35) at T0 (within 24 h of the ICU admission) had higher odds of delirium (OR = 1.235, 95%CI: 1.105-1.382). Hyperlactatemia (lactate level 2-5 mmol/L and PH > 7.35) at T1 (after 24 h of the ICU admission) was also associated with higher odds of delirium (OR = 1.277, 95%CI: 1.126-1.447). Lactate clearance rate > 50% was linked to lower odds of delirium (OR = 0.705, 95%CI: 0.613-0.811), and this relationship was also observed in ≥65 years old, female, male, non-sepsis, sepsis, non-hypertension, non-sedative drug use, sedative drug use, ventilation, antibiotic drug use, use of vasopressors, and different SOFA score subgroups (all p < 0.05). Additionally, hyperlactatemia and lactic acidosis (whether at T0 or T1) may be potential risk factors for 30-day mortality in delirium patients, whereas lactate clearance rate ≥ 0 had a potential protective effect on 30-day mortality (all p < 0.05). Higher serum lactate levels in the early stage of the ICU were associated with a higher risk of delirium and subsequent mortality. Measures taken to increase the lactate clearance rate are necessary to reduce potential delirium or mortality risk in clinical settings. However, more evidence from prospective studies is needed to verify these findings.

#1858 Delirium among patients admitted to a Nephrology ward-risk factors and association with short-term outcomes: an observational prospective cohort study

Abstract Background and Aims To date, delirium is considered one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric acute syndromes among hospitalized populations. In general medicine, the risk factors for delirium are well-established but there are limited data concerning the incidence and predictors of delirium in nephrological patients. The aims of the study were (i) to assess the prevalence and the risk factors for delirium in hospitalized patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and (ii) to evaluate the effect of delirium on in-hospital mortality. Method A cohort of 942 patients admitted to the Nephrology Department of a tertiary-care Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023 were enrolled in a prospective observational study. Delirium was diagnosed by a psychiatrist during the hospitalization. The endpoint was defined as hospital death or hospital discharge. Relevant sociodemographic, nephrological- and medical-related clusters were assessed with logistic uni- and multivariable regression methods to evaluate their association with delirium and in-hospital mortality. A two-tailed value &amp;lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results In the studied group, mean age was 62.85 years, 519 (55.09%) patients being males. The prevalence of delirium was 5.41% (51/942 patients). The delirious patients were older (mean 70.04 vs. 62.44 years; P&amp;lt;0.001) and with a longer duration of hospitalization (13.12 ± 7.90 days vs. 10.76 ± 8.92 days; P=0.007). Univariable regression analysis showed that delirium was associated with age (r=0.117, P&amp;lt;0.001), alcohol abuse (r=0.144, P&amp;lt;0.001), history of stroke (r=0.184, P&amp;lt;0.001), vascular dementia (r=0.125, P&amp;lt;0.001), dehydration (r=0.175, P&amp;lt;0.001), sepsis (r=0.144, P&amp;lt;0.001), and acute kidney injury (AKI) stage 2 and 3 (r=0.155, P&amp;lt;0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, the independent predictors of delirium were: age (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.029, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002–1.056, P=0.034), alcohol abuse (OR=4.728, 95% CI: 1.968-11.359, P=0.001), history of stroke (OR=3.493, 95% CI: 1.849-6.598, P&amp;lt;0.001), and AKI stage 2 and 3 (OR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.152-4.105, P=0.017). Chronic kidney disease was not associated with a higher risk of delirium (OR=0.583, 95% CI: 0.308-1.110, P=0.097). Delirium was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (47.05% vs. no-delirium 14.36%, P&amp;lt;0.001) and was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR=3.074, 95% CI: 1.630-5.797, P=0.001). Conclusion In this study conducted on patients hospitalized in a nephrology ward age, alcohol abuse, history of stroke, and AKI stage 2 and 3 were independent risk factors for delirium. Delirium significantly increased in-hospital mortality. The findings of the study emphasize the strong connectivity between AKI and acute brain dysfunction.

Malnutrition elevates delirium and ICU stay among critically ill older adult COVID-19 patients.

Malnutrition among intensive care unit (ICU) patients is associated with a higher risk of mortality and prolonged hospitalization. However, the influence of malnutrition on severe outcomes of ICU patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unclear. By evaluating the effect of malnutrition on the outcomes of COVID-19 in the ICU in older adult patients, this study will contribute to new knowledge of assessing the nutritional status and recovery of these patients. In the current single center prospective study, 310 critically ill COVID-19 patients with an age range of ≥65 years were recruited. Data on demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters, comorbidities, medications, and types of mechanical ventilation were collected in the first 24 h of ICU admission. Malnutrition was defined based on the two-step approach of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) scale at baseline. During the 45 days after the baseline, we collected data on delirium incidence, mortality, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) requirement, length of ICU and hospital admission, and re-hospitalization. In this study, the prevalence of malnutrition was 63.4% among critically ill COVID-19 patients. During the 45-day follow-up, 190 (61.3%) COVID-19 deaths were recorded among the baseline 310 patients. After controlling for potential confounders, malnutrition was associated with an increased risk of delirium so malnourished COVID-19 patients had a significantly 35% higher risk of delirium than those without malnutrition (HR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01-1.83). Such a significant association was not for COVID-19 mortality and IMV requirement. In addition, malnutrition was associated with a significantly 84% greater odds of prolonged ICU admission (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.09-3.10). No significant association was seen between malnutrition and re-hospitalization and also prolonged hospital admission. Malnutrition was associated with an increased risk of delirium and prolonged ICU admission among critically ill older adult COVID-19 patients. Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malnutrition could be a key component in improving outcomes in these patients.

The association between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and delirium after deep brain stimulation surgery in Parkinson's disease.

Postoperative delirium (POD) remains one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric complications after deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. The fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been shown to significantly correlate with the prognosis of many diseases related to inflammation. However, the association between FAR and POD remains unclear. We aimed to explore the association between POD and FAR in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) undergoing DBS surgery. Patients with PD who underwent DBS surgery in our hospital were included in this retrospective study. FAR was calculated from the blood sample collected on admission. The association between baseline FAR and delirium after surgery was assessed by binary logistic regression analysis, interaction analysis, and stratified analyses. Of 226 patients, 37 (16.4%) suffered from delirium after surgery. The average age of the participants was 63.3 ± 7.2 years, and 51.3% were male patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that patients in the highest FAR tertile had a higher risk of POD compared with patients in the lowest FAR tertile (OR = 3.93, 95% CI: 1.24 ~ 12.67). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that FAR and the preoperative Mini-Mental State Examination score (p = 0.013) had an association with delirium after surgery. Our data suggest that a higher preoperative FAR was significantly associated with delirium after DBS surgery. FAR on admission is a useful candidate biomarker to identify patients with PD who are at a high risk of delirium following DBS surgery.

A Mendelian randomization-based study of the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behavior and delirium

BackgroundDelirium is an acute or subacute change in mental status caused by various factors. We evaluated the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behaviors (LSBs) and delirium. MethodsA two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed to evaluate the causal relationship between sedentary behaviors (time spent watching television, time spent using computer, and time spent driving) and delirium. Statistical information for the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the traits of interest was obtained from independent consortia that focused on European populations. The dataset for LSBs was acquired from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising a substantial sample size: 437887 samples for time spent watching television, 360,895 for time spent using computer, and 310,555 for time spent driving. A GWAS with 1269 delirium cases and 209,487 controls was used to identify genetic variation underlying the time of LSBs. We used five complementary MR methods, including inverse variance weighted method (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode. ResultsGenetically predicted time spent watching television (odds ratio [OR]: 2.921, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.381–6.179) demonstrated significant association with delirium (P = 0.005), whereas no significant associations were observed between time spent using computer (OR: 0.556, 95 % CI: 0.246–1.257, P = 0.158) and time spent driving (OR: 1.747, 95 % CI: 0.09–3. 40, P = 0.713) and delirium. Sensitivity analyses supported a causal interpretation, with limited evidence of significant bias from genetic pleiotropy. Moreover, our MR assumptions appeared to be upheld, enhancing the credibility of our conclusions. LimitationsLarger sample sizes are needed to validate the findings of our study. ConclusionTime spent watching television is a significant risk factor for delirium. Reducing television time may be an important intervention for those at higher risk of delirium.

Study on the causal relationship between educational attainment and delirium: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

This study aimed to investigate whether there is a causal relationship between educational attainment and delirium at the genetic level using the Mendelian randomization method, and provide new evidence for studies in this field. We found a causal relationship between educational attainment and delirium at the genetic level after excluding confounders using Mendelian randomization. The inverse variance weighting method of random effects was the main analysis method. The weighted median and Mendelian Randomization-Egger methods, as well as simple, and weighted modes were used as supplementary analysis methods. Additionally, horizontal pleiotropy tests were conducted, including the Mendelian Randomization-Egger intercept test and Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier. Cochran's Q statistic was used to assess the size of heterogeneity. We retrieved all second single nucleotide polymorphism features and performed multivariate Mendelian randomization to adjust for the effect of potential confounders on our results. The inverse variance weighting suggested a negative correlation between genetically predicted educational attainment and delirium (0.67[0.49–0.92], p = 0.013); Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (0.67[0.49–0.92], p = 0.013) and multivariate Mendelian randomization (0.52[0.33–0.82], p = 0.005) results were generally consistent with the inverse variance weighting method. The Mendelian Randomization-Egger, simple, and weighted mode results were consistent with the inverse variance weighting results. Our results were not affected by pleiotropy or heterogeneity (p > 0.05, for both pleiotropy and heterogeneity). In addition, the “leave-one-out” analysis showed that the results of our Mendelian randomization analysis were not influenced by individual single nucleotide polymorphisms. Studies have found a causal relationship between educational attainment and delirium at the genetic level; higher educational attainment may be a protective factor against delirium. Clinically, more attention should be paid to patients at a high risk of delirium with low educational attainment.

Factors associated with delirium in a real-world acute-care setting: analysis considering the interdependence of clinical variables with the frailty syndrome

Key summary pointsAimThis study investigated factors associated with delirium in an acute-care setting, considering the interdependency of several clinical parameters with the frailty syndrome.FindingsIn acute care, delirium was mainly present in participants with at least one among age > 85 years old, Clinical Frailty Scale > 4, and use of invasive devices. At the individual level, dementia, other psychiatric illnesses and use of antipsychotics were the greatest risk factors for delirium.MessageThe evaluation of a limited number of clinical parameters, including frailty, can help clinicians identify older patients at high risk of delirium in acute-care wards with a high level of accuracy.

Risk factors for postoperative delirium in patients with cardiac surgery.

Purpose: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after cardiac surgery are at high risk of delirium due to a variety of factors. This study aimed to identify the incidence of postoperative delirium in adult patients with cardiac surgery and its risk factors, such as characteristics of subjects, disease and treatment-related, as well as nursing-related characteristics. Methods: The study was performed on adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery at Y University Hospital in D city; a total of 195 patients met the inclusion criteria. Results: The results of this study determined that 67 of 195 adult cardiac surgery patients had postoperative delirium, 53.7% of which occurred in the ICU and 46.3% in the general ward. Risk factors of postoperative delirium were postoperative symptoms of inflammation (odds ratio [OR] = 10.18, p = 0.002), continuous renal replacement therapy application after surgery (OR = 9.05, p = 0.006), postoperative sleep disorder (OR = 8.98, p < 0.001), age (OR = 6.23, p = 0.006), length of stay in the ICU (OR = 3.83, p = 0.031), history of stroke (OR = 3.71, p = 0.033), the number of postoperative catheter retention (OR = 1.53, p = 0.065), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ score (OR = 1.12, p = 0.006), and time of operation (OR = 1.01, p = 0.042). Conclusion: This study confirmed that after cardiac surgery, postoperative delirium occurred in patients during their ICU stay and after their transfer to a general ward. Considering that after cardiac surgery ICU-related factors affect the incidence of delirium in the general ward, there is a need for continuous monitoring of ICU-related factors after the patient gets transferred to a general ward.

The effectiveness of preoperative delirium prevention in intermediate to high-risk older surgical patients: A systematic review.

Few reviews have addressed delirium prevention among intermediate to high-risk older surgical patients. To map preoperative delirium prevention interventions for older surgical patients at intermediate to high risk of developing delirium, assess outcomes and identify gaps in knowledge. Systematic narrative review of randomised controlled trials reported following the PRISMA checklist. A systematic search was conducted of the literature published from 1990 to October 2022 in Medline, CINAHL and Ageline and of the grey literature in Google Scholar. Randomised controlled trials were retrieved that assessed the effectiveness of preoperative delirium prevention interventions for older surgical patients at intermediate to high risk of delirium. Data were extracted using a data extraction tool, and results were tabulated. Studies were assessed for bias using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. Twenty-one studies met the selection criteria including N = 5096 participants. Two studies tested cognitive training, two studies tested fascia iliaca compartment block and one study assessed femoral nerve block. Ten studies tested prophylactic medications including methylprednisolone. Five studies investigated geriatric assessment and management. One study assessed transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation. In the two studies testing fascia iliaca compartment block, there was a reduction in postoperative delirium for orthopaedic patients. Methylprednisolone reduced postoperative delirium in orthopaedic patients and in those undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Results of all other interventions on the occurrence of postoperative delirium and additional outcomes including the severity and duration of delirium were inconclusive. Despite the promising results for fascia iliaca compartment block and methylprednisolone, there is limited knowledge regarding evidence-based delirium prevention interventions. Most studies had small sample sizes indicating that the current evidence is exploratory. There is an urgent need for the funding and conduct of trials to test preventative interventions for older surgical patients at intermediate to high risk of developing delirium.

Delirium and Pseudoparkinsonism in a Bipolar Patient: Case Report

Background Bipolar patients are at higher risk of delirium, in comparison to other psychiatric patients, regardless of being under lithium treatment. Indeed, lithium and antipsychotics are the mainstay drugs in the management of bipolar disorder. In clinical practice, the combinations of these drugs are commonly used in the management of acute phase of mania. Despite rare previous cases of olanzapine-associated delirium and cases of delirium with extrapyramidal signs due to a lithium-olanzapine combination therapy, these are mainly reported in elderly or severely ill patients. Case Presentation This case report illustrates a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by olanzapine-associated delirium alongside parkinsonism induced by aripiprazole, during a severe manic episode, in an antipsychotic-naïve young adult bipolar patient, under lithium maintenance treatment. Conclusions This case highlights the need for caution regarding delirium and extrapyramidal symptoms when treating antipsychotic-naïve bipolar patients under lithium maintenance therapy. The risk factors and the underlying physiopathology of this iatrogenic neuropsychiatric syndrome are discussed. We hypothesise a central cholinergic antagonism in the pathophysiology for delirium, and both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms for Parkinsonism, namely a putative flaw functioning of CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 cytochromes, bringing about a failure in metabolising aripiprazole at a normal rate, and a synergistic effect of lithium and antipsychotics on dopaminergic blockade.

A Molecular Framework for Delirium.

Over 2.6 million adults over the age of 65 develop delirium each year in the United States (US). Delirium is associated with a significant increase in mortality and the US health care costs associated with delirium are estimated at over $164 billion annually. Despite the prevalence of the condition, the molecular pathophysiology of delirium remains unexplained, limiting the development of pharmacotherapies. Delirious patients can be identified by prominent impairments in attention and working memory (WM), two cognitive domains that localize to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). The dlPFC is also a key site for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, and given the high risk of delirium in AD patients, suggests that efforts at understanding delirium might focus on the dlPFC as a final common endpoint for cognitive changes. Preclinical studies of the dlPFC reproduce many of the pharmacological observations made of delirious patients, including sensitivity to anticholinergics and an 'inverted U' pattern of dependence on monoaminergic input, with diminished performance outside a narrow range of signaling. Medications like guanfacine, which influence the dlPFC in the context of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have emerged as therapies for delirium and motivate a detailed understanding of the influence of α-2 agonists on WM. In this review, I will discuss the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms underlying WM and the function of the dlPFC. Localizing the cognitive deficits that are commonly seen in delirious patients may help identify new molecular targets for this highly prevalent disease.

The therapeutic effect of acupuncture on neurocognitive disorders under the concept of outcome based education

BackgroundThe neurocognitive disorder is a common neuropsychological disease characterized by impaired cognitive function, attention deficit, and memory loss. With the aging of the population and lifestyle changes, the prevalence of neurocognitive disorders is on the rise, seriously affecting patients’ quality of life. Acupuncture therapy, an essential part of traditional Chinese medicine, has shown potential therapeutic effects in treating neurocognitive disorders.Subjects and MethodsThe outcome based education concept was incorporated into acupuncture therapy to explore its therapeutic effect on neurocognitive disorders. The study included 50 neurocognitive-impaired patients, 25 of whom received acupuncture therapy under the outcome based education concept as an experimental group. The other 25 served as a control group and received traditional Chinese acupuncture treatment. The experiment lasted three months, and the 3-minute Delirium Diagnostic Scale (3D-CAM) was used to measure the level of consciousness, mental clarity, attention, and delirium characteristics.ResultsAfter receiving acupuncture therapy under the outcome based education concept, most of the patients in the experimental group had a lower risk of delirium, and their attention, thinking, and consciousness levels were significantly improved. Patients in the control group generally had a higher risk of delirium, difficulty concentrating, and memory loss.ConclusionsThe study proposed that the outcome based education concept in acupuncture therapy has a more noticeable effect on treating neurocognitive disorders. At the same time, this study’s results will help reveal the mechanism of acupuncture therapy in treating neurocognitive disorders and provide guidance for clinical practice.AcknowledgementThe research is supported by the Key R&amp;D project of Hainan Province (No.zdyf2019191).

195 Enhancing the care of the older adult with delirium in the emergency department: the implementation of non pharmacological strategies

Abstract Background Frail older adults presenting to an acute setting are vulnerable to the adverse effects of hospitalisation including the risk of developing in-hospital delirium. Last year in Ireland the average ED waiting time for the &amp;gt;75 adult was over 13.8 hours and a stay 3 times longer than those &amp;gt;65. A stay of ten hours or more within the ED for the older adult will double the risk of developing in-hospital delirium within the following 72 hours. This can potentially result in the further risk of mortality, morbidity, and dependence for long term care. National Clinical Delirium Guidelines state that the management of delirium is primarily non-pharmacological. However, adequate access to these types of interventions is limited with in the ED. Methods The Frailty Intervention Team (FIT) completed Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) with everyone over the age of 65 years old that attended the Emergency Department within hours of work. The 4 AT (Assessment Test for Delirium and Cognitive Impairment) was used to identify those who were delirious or at high risk of delirium. Once identified non-pharmacological strategies (orientation, early mobilisation, and comfort measures) were used to support the management of delirium. This was achieved by provision of seating, orientation clocks and a comfort trolley. Results Over 3-month period 64 patients reviewed by the FIT were highlighted as delirious or at risk of delirium. Once a patient was identified delirium protocol was followed and orientation, early mobilisation and comfort measure was provided by the FIT. 30 patients were facilitated to sit out in the ED through new provision of chairs. Conclusion A delirium friendly environment, appropriate seating and access to non-pharmacological therapies promotes quality of care, education and best practice in delirium management within the Emergency Department.

The Confusion Assessment Method Could Be More Accurate than the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale for Diagnosing Delirium in Older Cancer Patients: An Exploratory Study.

Older people with cancer carry a high risk of delirium, an underdiagnosed syndrome due to its diagnostic complexity and often subtle presentation. Tools based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) are available to different health professionals. Our aim is to assess the prevalence of delirium in older people with cancer in an inpatient unit and the accuracy of the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS). This exploratory, cross-sectional study included people aged 65 years or older with a diagnosis of cancer and admitted to the medical oncology unit from June 2021 to December 2022. The diagnostic accuracy of CAM and MDAS was analyzed against the gold standard medical diagnosis based on DSM-5 criteria by two medical oncologists. The cutoff point for the MDAS was determined using a receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Among the 75 included patients (mean age 71.6 years, standard deviation 4.1; 52% males), the prevalence of delirium was 62.7%. The most prevalent types of cancer in patients with delirium were hematological and lung cancer. The scale with the highest diagnostic accuracy was the CAM, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 86%, followed by the MDAS, with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 30%. The presence of cognitive impairment hindered the detection of delirium. The CAM scale was more accurate than the MDAS pre-existing cognitive impairment in our sample. Further studies are needed to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of delirium tools in older populations with cancer and in the presence of cognitive impairment.

Machine learning-based prediction of delirium 24 h after pediatric intensive care unit admission in critically ill children: A prospective cohort study

BackgroundAccurately identifying patients at high risk of delirium is vital for timely preventive intervention measures. Approaches for identifying the risk of developing delirium among critically ill children are not well researched. ObjectiveTo develop and validate machine learning-based models for predicting delirium among critically ill children 24 h after pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. DesignA prospective cohort study. SettingA large academic medical center with a 57-bed PICU in southwestern China from November 2019 to February 2022. ParticipantsOne thousand five hundred and seventy-six critically ill children requiring PICU stay over 24 h. MethodsFive machine learning algorithms were employed. Delirium was screened by bedside nurses twice a day using the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium. Twenty-four clinical features from medical and nursing records during hospitalization were used to inform the models. Model performance was assessed according to numerous learning metrics, including the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). ResultsOf the 1576 enrolled patients, 929 (58.9 %) were boys, and the age ranged from 28 days to 15 years with a median age of 12 months (IQR 3 to 60 months). Among them, 1126 patients were assigned to the training cohort, and 450 were assigned to the validation cohort. The AUCs ranged from 0.763 to 0.805 for the five models, among which the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) model performed best, achieving an AUC of 0.805 (95 % CI, 0.759–0.851), with 0.798 (95 % CI, 0.758–0.834) accuracy, 0.902 sensitivity, 0.839 positive predictive value, 0.640 F1-score and a Brier score of 0.144. Almost all models showed lower predictive performance in children younger than 24 months than in older children. The logistic regression model also performed well, with an AUC of 0.789 (95 % CI, 0.739, 0.838), just under that of the XGB model, and was subsequently transformed into a nomogram. ConclusionsMachine learning-based models can be established and potentially help identify critically ill children who are at high risk of delirium 24 h after PICU admission. The nomogram may be a beneficial management tool for delirium for PICU practitioners at present.

Monitoring delirium in the intensive care unit: Diagnostic accuracy of the CAM-ICU tool when performed by certified nursing assistants – A prospective multicenter study

BackgroundMonitoring delirium in critically ill patients is recognized as a major challenge. Although involving certified nursing assistants could be a valuable help in this field, such strategy has never been formally investigated. ObjectivesFollowing theoretical training, we conducted a prospective multicenter study assessing the diagnostic accuracy of a CAM-ICU delirium screening strategy performed by CNAs in clinical settings, compared to parallel blinded evaluations conducted by nurses and physicians. MethodsFrom October 2020 to June 2022, adult intensive care patients admitted in three French University teaching hospitals with Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale ≥−2 were independently assessed for delirium by the three members of the care team (clinical nursing assistant, nurse and physician) using CAM-ICU in a random order. Physician’s assessment served as the reference standard for comparisons. ResultsWe analyzed results from 268 triplets of CAM-ICU assessments performed sequentially on 203 patients. Prevalence of delirium was 22%. Compared to physician's assessments, clinical nursing assistants demonstrated a sensitivity (Se) of 88% CI95% [80–96] and a specificity (Sp) of 95% [92–98] in detecting delirium. There was no significant difference in the performance of clinical nursing assistants and nurses (Se = 90 % [82–97] p = 0.77, Sp = 98 % [95–100] p = 0.19). We observed high agreement between results obtained by physicians and clinical nursing assistants (ĸ = 0.82) and clinical nursing assistants performance remained consistent in the subgroups at higher risk of delirium. ConclusionEvaluation of the CAM-ICU by clinical nursing assistants is feasible and should be seen as an opportunity to increase routine monitoring of delirium in intensive care patients. Implication for Clinical PracticeDelirium is a severe and underestimated complication of intensive care unit stay. This study results demonstrate the great performance of trained clinical nursing assistants in detecting delirium using the CAM-ICU. Further research is needed to define the most effective role for clinical nursing assistants in the routine management of delirium in intensive care patients.

Predicting delirium in older non-intensive care unit inpatients: development and validation of the DELIrium risK Tool (DELIKT).

Effective delirium prevention could benefit from automatic risk stratification of older inpatients using routinely collected clinical data. Primary aim was to develop and validate a delirium prediction model (DELIKT) suitable for implementation in hospitals. Secondary aim was to select an anticholinergic burden scale as a predictor. We used one cohort for model development and another for validation with electronically available data collected within the first 24h of admission. Included were patients aged ≥ 65, hospitalised ≥ 48h with no stay > 24h in an intensive care unit. Predictors, such as administrative and laboratory variables or an anticholinergic burden scale, were selected using a combination of feature selection filter method and forward/backward selection. The final model was based on logistic regression and the DELIKT was derived from the β-coefficients. We report the following performance measures: area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity and odds ratio. Both cohorts were similar and included over 10,000 patients each (mean age 77.6 ± 7.6years) with 11% experiencing delirium. The model included nine variables: age, medical department, dementia, hemi-/paraplegia, catheterisation, potassium, creatinine, polypharmacy and the anticholinergic burden measured with the Clinician-rated Anticholinergic Scale (CrAS). The external validation yielded an AUC of 0.795. With a cut-off at 20 points in the DELIKT, we received a sensitivity of 79.7%, specificity of 62.3% and an odds ratio of 5.9 (95% CI 5.2,6.7). The DELIKT is a potentially automatic tool with predictors from standard care including the CrAS to identify patients at high risk for delirium.

681 Postoperative Muscle Relaxant Use Associated With Increased Risk of Delirium Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion

INTRODUCTION: Muscle relaxants including cyclobenzaprine and baclofen are frequently utilized in pain management following spine surgery as part of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols. These medications are associated with anticholinergic and central nervous system side effects and are used with caution in outpatient treatment for those at high-risk of delirium, especially the elderly. Literature investigating their association with delirium in the postoperative setting has not been described. METHODS: Patients over age 65 undergoing elective posterior lumbar fusion between 2017 and 2021 at the senior author’s institution were retrospectively reviewed. Variables collected included patient demographics as well as whether subjects received postoperative administration of baclofen and/or cyclobenzaprine on postoperative day 1 as part of a multimodal analgesia regimen. Doubly-robust inverse probability weighting (IPW) with cox-regression was used to evaluate the incidence of postoperative delirium between groups. RESULTS: Five-hundred and thirty-one patients were included in the analysis. Incidence of delirium in those who received postoperative muscle relaxants was 17.6% (44/250) compared to 11.4% (32/281) in the control group who did not (p = 0.001). Doubly-robust IPW analysis found patients who received muscle relaxants were at a 2.07 (95% CI: 1.18-3.63) times increased risk of delirium compared to controls (p = 0.015). Postoperative time to delirium onset was similar between groups (3.0 vs 3.1 days; p = 0.916) while the average duration of delirium was significantly longer in those who received postoperative muscle relaxants (2.5 vs 1.6 days; p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative muscle relaxant use was associated with a higher risk of delirium in elderly adults following lumbar spinal fusion. Although muscle relaxants may assist with postoperative pain control as part of ERAS protocols while minimizing opioid administration, their side effect profile should be considered in patients at high risk of postoperative delirium.