MINI REVIEW article

Front. Med., 30 March 2023

Sec. Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology

Volume 10 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1071854

Delirium in the intensive care unit and its importance in the post-operative context: A review

  • 1. Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

  • 2. South Western Sydney Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

  • 3. Centre for Applied Nursing Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University and Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

  • 4. School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

  • 5. SWS Nursing and Midwifery Research Alliance, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

Article metrics

View details

14

Citations

10,8k

Views

2,6k

Downloads

Abstract

The burden of delirium in the intensive care setting is a global priority. Delirium affects up to 80% of patients in intensive care units; an episode of delirium is often distressing to patients and their families, and delirium in patients within, or outside of, the intensive care unit (ICU) setting is associated with poor outcomes. In the short term, such poor outcomes include longer stay in intensive care, longer hospital stay, increased risk of other hospital-acquired complications, and increased risk of hospital mortality. Longer term sequelae include cognitive impairment and functional dependency. While medical category of admission may be a risk factor for poor outcomes in critical care populations, outcomes for surgical ICU admissions are also poor, with dependency at hospital discharge exceeding 30% and increased risk of in-hospital mortality, particularly in vulnerable groups, with high-risk procedures, and resource-scarce settings. A practical approach to delirium prevention and management in the ICU setting is likely to require a multi-faceted approach. Given the good evidence for the prevention of delirium among older post-operative outside of the intensive care setting, simple non-pharmacological interventions should be effective among older adults post-operatively who are cared for in the intensive care setting. In response to this, the future ICU environment will have a range of organizational and distinct environmental characteristics that are directly targeted at preventing delirium.

Introduction

The burden of delirium in the intensive care setting is a global priority (1, 2). Delirium is an acute neurocognitive disorder that is characterized by a fluctuating level of consciousness with impaired attention and cognition (3). Delirium affects up to 80% of patients in intensive care units (4). An episode of delirium is often distressing to patients and their families, and in patients within, or outside of, the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, and it is associated with poor outcomes, in the short term, which includes longer stay in intensive care, longer hospital stay, and increased risk of hospital mortality in patients (511). Longer term sequelae include cognitive impairment and dependency in activities of daily living (6, 9, 1216). In the Australian healthcare setting, it has been estimated that an episode of delirium increases hospital stay by, on average, 2.7 days (17), and in the ICU-based Deli I study, patients experiencing an acute episode of delirium stayed, on average, an extra 6 days longer in hospital (18).

Delirium in the intensive care setting

Each year, there are approximately 175,000 admissions to Australian adult intensive care units (ICUs); this number has been increasing by 6% each year since 2011 (19). While there is considerable variability in the intensive care unit admissions depending on geographic location (20), intensive care unit beds and usage appear to be increasing (20). The majority of patients admitted to intensive care will survive ICU (19, 20); however, as many as one in five patients will experience an acute episode of delirium (21), and being older and frail increases the risk (2, 11, 2224). The direct healthcare costs associated with delirium and longer hospital stay alone would be approximately $255 million annually in the Australian intensive care setting, excluding the cost due to the loss of healthy life, which has been estimated to be double that of direct healthcare costs (17, 25).

While the medical category of admission may be a risk factor for poor outcomes (26, 27) in critical care populations, outcomes for surgical ICU admissions are not particularly optimistic, with dependency at hospital discharge exceeding 30% (28) and average in-hospital mortality in the order of approximately 2.5–5% but exponentially higher in older patients or those undergoing high-risk procedures (2831). Thirty-day mortality among non-cardiac surgical patients reaches almost 40% (32); even higher mortality rates have been observed in resource-limited settings (33). A recent study indicated that 28% of 350,000 admissions across 238 ICUs in the United States represented a primary surgical diagnosis (28). While encouraging trends were noted in terms of mortality and length of stay for some surgical cohorts, functional decline appeared to be increasing over time (28). Factors such as delirium, prolonged immobilization, and mechanical ventilation may all contribute to functional decline and other poor outcomes in surgical and general ICU populations, exacerbated by underlying risk factors such as age, frailty, comorbidity, and cognitive impairment (28, 3436). Although not specific to those requiring intensive care admission, post-operative delirium is reported in upward of 65% of patients (37, 38). Identification of those who have the highest risk may facilitate the implementation of targeted interventions (39). The risk for the development of post-operative delirium may be conceptualized as relating to pre-operative (baseline) factors, intra-operative factors related to the surgery and anesthetic, and post-operative factors (38). A recent study highlighted the potential to predict delirium in older (aged ≥70 years) surgical patients undergoing elective cardiovascular, orthopedic, or general surgery (40), with surgery type, multimorbidity, renal failure, polypharmacy, ASA, cut-to-suture time, and cognitive assessment allowing an ability to predict delirium with an AUC of 0.8 (40). This information is helpful not only just in planning care but also in discussing risk with patients and families and managing expectations. Furthermore, embedding assessment in formal multi-faceted structures such as comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) may reduce post-operative delirium in older patients such as those undergoing vascular or hip fracture surgery (41, 42).

The good news is that high-quality evidence suggests that at least 30% of episodes of hospital-acquired delirium are preventable, including, for example, in post-operative hip fracture cohorts (3, 43, 44). Multi-component, multidisciplinary interventions have been shown to reduce the incidence of delirium, in general wards, post-operative, and aged care settings (3, 4548). However, evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the burden of delirium in the intensive care has been inconclusive (4954), and none of these intensive care studies focused purely on post-operative populations. Gaps are in part attributable to a lack of focus on the effective implementation and dissemination of evidence into practice (5557). There is a lack of good evidence supporting the use of pharmacological interventions to prevent delirium in the intensive care setting. A recent Cochrane systematic review (45) concluded that “the effects of other pharmacological, sedation, environmental, and preventive nursing interventions is unclear and warrants further investigation,” while a meta-analysis of bundle interventions likewise failed to show an association with delirium prevalence or duration (58). Nonetheless, previous trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses have shown promise in terms of the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the burden of delirium in the hospital and critical care settings (4347, 52).

A recent review of pharmacological therapy in the ICU highlighted the significant limitations of existing trials, with heterogeneity in terms of agents used, primary outcome measures, timing of treatment, and delirium diagnosis (59). Among the available pharmacological agents, dexmedetomidine has some evidence supporting its benefit in reducing post-operative delirium in older patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery (60). A slightly more recent meta-analysis of 14 melatonin/ramelteon studies suggested that these formulations might significantly reduce delirium in surgical (49% risk reduction) and ICU (34%) patient groups (61), but optimum duration, dosing, and formulation are yet to be identified.

In addition to delirium prevention, early recognition of delirium is key. Improving detection through the use of screening tools (3, 62, 63) may facilitate improved diagnosis, which can in turn trigger prompts to guide investigation and management (3, 64, 65). Simple screening tools may in fact be utilized to assist in the diagnosis of delirium in the intensive care setting. The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and its ICU version have been validated as a reliable (kappa = 0.96; 95% CI 0.91–0.99) and valid (sensitivity 0.81–0.82 and specificity 0.99) tool to diagnose delirium in the intensive care setting (6668). Hypoactive delirium, which is common in older patients, is associated with a poorer prognosis than the hyperactive form (3) but is more likely to be under-recognized (69), highlighting the need to maintain an appropriate index of suspicion in older patients. While DSM-V criteria for the diagnosis of delirium no longer explicitly refer to the level of arousal for the diagnosis of delirium, the level of arousal is fundamental to the assessment of attention and cognition and should be included in the assessment of the potentially delirious patient (70). The issue of coma is also pertinent to the ICU setting, and it is worth noting that a diagnosis of delirium is precluded in patients with a severely reduced level of arousal such as coma (71).

Thus, a practical approach to delirium prevention and management in the ICU setting is likely to require a multi-faceted approach. Some examples of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the risk of delirium are presented in the Table 1. Environmental factors may also be a focus of risk-reduction strategies, with design modifications potentially targeting sound and light, floor planning, and room arrangement, aiming to reduce stressors and positively influence the patient experience (4). Harnessing the expertise and manpower of family members, to assist with aspects of care such as orientation and memory cueing, cognitive stimulation, and sensory checks, may also be feasible and acceptable (72).

Table 1

Component Intervention
Cognitive impairment. Establish a baseline using the validated CAM, CAM-ICU assessment tool and use orientation techniques (14, 53, 74).
All patients will be re-orientated to time/place/people/event such as reason for hospitalization, at regular intervals (53, 7577)
Sensory functions. Optimise sensory function for vision and hearing by ensuring glasses and hearing aids are available and appropriately used when patient is awake. Families will be reminded to have these items available, and nurses will ensure their appropriate use (78, 79)
Use appropriate communication technique (verbal/written/pictures) to compensate sensory loss and overcome language barriers (76, 79, 80)
Environmental interventions Provide visible clock, calendar and schedule for each patient (7477, 8085)
Provide sleep management (night light, foot massage, back massage) (74, 76, 77, 84)
Provide comfortable physical environment (reducing noise, persistent nursing, the limited movement to other beds, beds areas, and allow to bring home favorites) (16, 78, 79, 81, 8490)
Remove physical restraints as soon as feasible, contingent to patient’s safety (16, 87, 90)
Arrange familiar people to visit and encourage family visitors to stay longer and frequently when possible, especially for patients with non-English speaking background and during planned sedation weaning (76, 80, 91)
Early therapeutic interventions Encourage early mobilization and plan mobility schedule (74, 92)
Provide appropriate nutrition; keep fluid and electrolyte balance (67)
Assessing and addressing pain management effectively and early (87, 93)
Careful use of sleeping pills, anticholinergics and opiates (87)
Avoid hypoxia.
Early detection and management of infection.
Removal of unnecessary catheters (87, 94)
Routinely screen alcohol history and commence Alcohol Withdrawal Assessment where appropriate (87)

Non-pharmacological interventions reduce the risk of delirium.

Implications for clinical practice

Good quality evidence suggests that at least 30% of episodes of delirium among older adults admitted to the hospital are preventable, with interventions being delivered by an interdisciplinary team of nursing, medical, and allied health clinicians (3). There is consistent evidence that these multi-component interventions are effective in preventing delirium, in general wards and aged care settings (43, 45). However, evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the burden of delirium in the intensive care has been inconclusive. While and small single-site, non-pharmacological multi-component interventional studies have shown promising results (45), larger studies, often among patients at high risk, have not shown a clear benefit (43, 49). In particular, older cardiothoracic surgery patient appears to be resistant to intervention in the ICU, even when other similar-aged surgical patients can have the risk of reduced post-operative delirium (43). Importantly, several significant organizational and design changes to the intensive care setting have been proposed, as “the future of intensive care: delirium should no longer be an issue” (73).

Conclusion

Given the good evidence for the prevention of delirium among older post-operative outside of the intensive care setting, simple non-pharmacological interventions should be effective among older adults post-operatively cared for in the intensive care setting. In response to this, the future ICU environment will have a range of organizational and distinct environmental characteristics that are directly targeted at preventing delirium.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Statements

Author contributions

DN, EA, and SF were responsible for drafting, editing, and finalization of the manuscript. All authors agreed to be accountable for the content of the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

  • 1.

    La Cour KN Andersen-Ranberg NC Weihe S Poulsen LM Mortensen CB Kjer CKW et al . Distribution of delirium motor subtypes in the intensive care unit: a systematic scoping review. Crit Care. (2022) 26:53. doi: 10.1186/s13054-022-03931-3

  • 2.

    Salluh JI Wang H Schneider EB Nagaraja N Yenokyan G Damluji A et al . Outcome of delirium in critically ill patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. (2015) 350:h2538. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h2538

  • 3.

    Inouye SK Westendorp RG Saczynski JS . Delirium in elderly people. Lancet. (2014) 383:91122. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60688-1

  • 4.

    Luetz A Grunow JJ Mörgeli R Rosenthal M Weber-Carstens S Weiss B et al . Innovative ICU Solutions to Prevent and Reduce Delirium and Post-Intensive Care Unit Syndrome. Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine. (2019) 40:67386. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1698404

  • 5.

    Dolan MM Hawkes WG Zimmerman SI Morrison RS Gruber-Baldini AL Hebel JR et al . Delirium on hospital admission in aged hip fracture patients: prediction of mortality and 2-year functional outcomes. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. (2000) 55:M52734. doi: 10.1093/gerona/55.9.M527

  • 6.

    Ely EW Shintani A Truman B Speroff T Gordon SM Harrell FE Jr et al . Delirium as a predictor of mortality in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. JAMA. (2004) 291:175362. doi: 10.1001/jama.291.14.1753

  • 7.

    Kennedy M Helfand BKI Gou RY Gartaganis SL Webb M Moccia JM et al . Delirium in older patients with COVID-19 presenting to the emergency department. JAMA Netw Open. (2020) 3:e2029540. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29540

  • 8.

    Ní Chróinín D Francis N Wong P Kim YD Nham S D'amours S . Older trauma patients are at high risk of delirium, especially those with underlying dementia or baseline frailty. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. (2021) 6:e000639. doi: 10.1136/tsaco-2020-000639

  • 9.

    Ouimet S Kavanagh BP Gottfried SB Skrobik Y . Incidence, risk factors and consequences of ICU delirium. Intensive Care Med. (2007) 33:6673. doi: 10.1007/s00134-006-0399-8

  • 10.

    Radinovic K Markovic-Denic L Dubljanin-Raspopovic E Marinkovic J Milan Z Bumbasirevic V . Estimating the effect of incident delirium on short-term outcomes in aged hip fracture patients through propensity score analysis. Geriatr Gerontol Int. (2015) 15:84855. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12358

  • 11.

    Sanchez D Brennan K Al Sayfe M Shunker SA Bogdanoski T Hedges S et al . Frailty, delirium and hospital mortality of older adults admitted to intensive care: the Delirium (Deli) in ICU study. Crit Care. (2020) 24:609. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03318-2

  • 12.

    Abelha FJ Luís C Veiga D Parente D Fernandes V Santos P et al . Outcome and quality of life in patients with postoperative delirium during an ICU stay following major surgery. Crit Care. (2013) 17:R2577. doi: 10.1186/cc13084

  • 13.

    Andrews L Silva SG Kaplan S Zimbro K . Delirium monitoring and patient outcomes in a general intensive care unit. Am J Crit Care. (2015) 24:4856. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2015740

  • 14.

    Balas MC Deutschman CS Sullivan-Marx EM Strumpf NE Alston RP Richmond TS . Delirium in older patients in surgical intensive care units. J Nurs Scholarsh. (2007) 39:14754.

  • 15.

    Hideaki S Subrina J Takeshi U Taro M Hiroko K . Severity of delirium in the ICU is associated with short term cognitive impairment. A prospective cohort study. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. (2015) 31:2507. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2015.01.001

  • 16.

    Mehta S Cook D Devlin JW Skrobik Y Meade M Fergusson D et al . Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of delirium in mechanically ventilated adults*. Crit Care Med. (2015) 43:55766. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000000727

  • 17.

    Pezzullo L Streatfeild J Hickson J Teodorczuk A Agar MR Caplan GA . Economic impact of delirium in Australia: a cost of illness study. BMJ Open. (2019) 9:e027514. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027514

  • 18.

    Brennan K Sanchez D Hedges S Al Sayfe M Shunker SA Bogdanoski T et al . A nurse-led intervention to reduce the incidence and duration of delirium among adults admitted to intensive care: A stepped-wedged cluster randomised trial. Austr Crit Care. (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2022.08.005

  • 19.

    Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society . Centre for outcome and resource evaluation 2020 report. Camberwell, Australia: Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (2020).

  • 20.

    Wunsch H Angus DC Harrison DA Collange O Fowler R Hoste EA et al . Variation in critical care services across North America and Western Europe. Critical care medicine. (2008) 36:2787e9. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e318186aec8

  • 21.

    Ankravs MJ Udy AA Byrne K Knowles S Hammond N Saxena MK et al . A multicentre point prevalence study of delirium assessment and management in patients admitted to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. Crit Care Resusc. (2020) 22:35560. doi: 10.51893/2020.4.OA8

  • 22.

    Bagshaw SM Stelfox HT Mcdermid RC Rolfson DB Tsuyuki RT Baig N et al . Association between frailty and short- and long-term outcomes among critically ill patients: a multicentre prospective cohort study. CMAJ. (2014) 186:E95E102. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.130639

  • 23.

    Darvall JN Bellomo R Paul E Subramaniam A Santamaria JD Bagshaw SM et al . Frailty in very old critically ill patients in Australia and New Zealand: a population-based cohort study. Med J Aust. (2019) 211:31823. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50329

  • 24.

    Flaatten H De Lange DW Morandi A Andersen FH Artigas A Bertolini G et al . The impact of frailty on Icu and 30-day mortality and the level of care in very elderly patients (>/= 80 years). Intensive Care Med. (2017) 43:18208.

  • 25.

    Caplan GA Teodorczuk A Streatfeild J Agar MR . The financial and social costs of delirium. European geriatric medicine. (2020) 11:10512. doi: 10.1007/s41999-019-00257-2

  • 26.

    Le Gall JR Lemeshow S Saulnier F . A new Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) based on a European/North American multicenter study. JAMA. (1993) 270:295763. doi: 10.1001/jama.270.24.2957

  • 27.

    Zimmerman JE Kramer AA McNair DS Malila FM . Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV: hospital mortality assessment for today’s critically ill patients. Critical care medicine. (2006) 34:1297310. doi: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000215112.84523.F0

  • 28.

    Vakayil V Ingraham NE Robbins AJ Freese R Northrop EF Brunsvold ME et al . Epidemiological trends of surgical admissions to the intensive care unit in the United States. The journal of trauma and acute care surgery. (2020) 89:27988. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002768

  • 29.

    Lamarche Y Elmi-Sarabi M Ding L Abel JG Sirounis D Denault AY . A score to estimate 30-day mortality after intensive care admission after cardiac surgery. The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. (2017) 153:11181125.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.11.039

  • 30.

    Reis P Lopes AI Leite D Moreira J Mendes L Ferraz S et al . Predicting mortality in patients admitted to the intensive care unit after open vascular surgery. Surgery today. (2019) 49:83642. doi: 10.1007/s00595-019-01805-w

  • 31.

    Sanchez D Brennan K Sayfe M. AL Shunker SA Bogdanoski T Hedges S et al . Frailty, delirium and hospital mortality of older adults admitted to intensive care: the Delirium (Deli) in ICU study. Crit Care. (2020) 24:609.

  • 32.

    Ekeloef S Thygesen LC Gögenur I . Short- and long-term mortality in major non-cardiac surgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. (2019) 63:63946. doi: 10.1111/aas.13319

  • 33.

    Bunogerane GJ Rickard J . A cross sectional survey of factors influencing mortality in Rwandan surgical patients in the intensive care unit. Surgery. (2019) 166:1937. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2019.04.010

  • 34.

    Bagshaw SM Stelfox HT Mcdermid RC Rolfson DB Tsuyuki RT Baig N et al . Association between frailty and short- and long-term outcomes among critically ill patients: a multicentre prospective cohort study. CMAJ. (2014) 186:E95102.

  • 35.

    Guidet B de Lange DW Boumendil A Leaver S Watson X Boulanger C et al . The contribution of frailty, cognition, activity of daily life and comorbidities on outcome in acutely admitted patients over 80 years in European ICUs: the VIP2 study. Intensive care medicine. (2020) 46:5769. doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05853-1

  • 36.

    Menges D Seiler B Tomonaga Y Schwenkglenks M Puhan MA Yebyo HG . Systematic early versus late mobilization or standard early mobilization in mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. Critical care (London, England). (2021) 25:16. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03446-9

  • 37.

    Inouye SK . Delirium after hip fracture: to be or not to be?Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. (2001) 49:6789. doi: 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49133.x

  • 38.

    Bilotta F Lauretta MP Borozdina A Mizikov VM Rosa G . Postoperative delirium: risk factors, diagnosis and perioperative care. Minerva anestesiologica. (2013) 79:106676.

  • 39.

    Wilson S Sutherland E Razak A O’Brien M Ding C Nguyen T et al . Implementation of a Frailty Assessment and Targeted Care Interventions and Its Association with Reduced Postoperative Complications in Elderly Surgical Patients. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. (2021) 233:764775.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2021.08.677

  • 40.

    Eschweiler GW Czornik M Herrmann ML et al . Presurgical Screening Improves Risk Prediction for Delirium in Elective Surgery of Older Patients: The PAWEL RISK Study. Front Aging Neurosci. (2021) 13:679933. Published 2021 Jul 27. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.679933

  • 41.

    Partridge JS Harari D Martin FC Peacock JL Bell R Mohammed A et al . Randomized clinical trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment and optimization in vascular surgery. The British journal of surgery. (2017) 104:67987. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10459

  • 42.

    Shields L Henderson V Caslake R . Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Prevention of Delirium After Hip Fracture: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. (2017) 65:155965. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14846

  • 43.

    Deeken F Sanchez A Rapp MA Denkinger M Brefka S Spank J et al . Outcomes of a delirium prevention program in older persons after elective surgery: a stepped-wedge cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA Surg. (2022) 157:e216370. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.6370

  • 44.

    Chuan A Sanders RD . The use of dexmedetomidine to prevent delirium after major cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. Anaesthesia. (2021) 76:12969. doi: 10.1111/anae.15494

  • 45.

    Burton JK Craig L Yong SQ Siddiqi N Teale EA Woodhouse R et al . Non-pharmacological interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised non-Icu patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2021) 11:Cd013307. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013307.pub2

  • 46.

    Hshieh TT Yang T Gartaganis SL Yue J Inouye SK . Hospital elder life program: systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. (2018) 26:101533. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.06.007

  • 47.

    Hshieh TT Yue J Oh E Puelle M Dowal S Travison T et al . Effectiveness of multicomponent nonpharmacological delirium interventions: a meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. (2015) 175:51220. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7779

  • 48.

    Chuan A Zhao L Tillekeratne N Alani S Middleton PM Harris IA et al . The effect of a multidisciplinary care bundle on the incidence of delirium after hip fracture surgery: a quality improvement study. Anaesthesia. (2020) 75:6371. doi: 10.1111/anae.14840

  • 49.

    Bannon L Mcgaughey J Verghis R Clarke M Mcauley DF Blackwood B . The effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in reducing the incidence and duration of delirium in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Intensive Care Med. (2019) 45:112. doi: 10.1007/s00134-018-5452-x

  • 50.

    Girard TD Exline MC Carson SS Hough CL Rock P Gong MN et al . Haloperidol and Ziprasidone for treatment of delirium in critical illness. N Engl J Med. (2018) 379:250616. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1808217

  • 51.

    Herling SF Greve IE Vasilevskis EE Egerod I Bekker Mortensen C Moller AM et al . Interventions for preventing intensive care unit delirium in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2018) 11:Cd009783. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009783.pub2

  • 52.

    Kang J Lee M Ko H Kim S Yun S Jeong Y et al . Effect of nonpharmacological interventions for the prevention of delirium in the intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Crit Care. (2018) 48:37284. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2018.09.032

  • 53.

    Moon KJ Lee SM . The effects of a tailored intensive care unit delirium prevention protocol: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Nurs Stud. (2015) 52:142332. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2015.04.021

  • 54.

    Rood PJT Zegers M Ramnarain D Koopmans M Klarenbeek T Ewalds E et al . The impact of nursing delirium preventive interventions in the ICU: a multicenter cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. (2021) 204:68291. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202101-0082OC

  • 55.

    Eccles MP Mittman BS . Welcome to implementation science. Implement Sci. (2006) 1:1. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-1-1

  • 56.

    Fixsen D Naoom S Blase K Friedman R Wallace F . Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. Tamps, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, National Implementation Research Network (2005).

  • 57.

    Proctor EK Powell BJ Mcmillen JC . Implementation strategies: recommendations for specifying and reporting. Implement Sci. (2013) 8:139. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-8-139

  • 58.

    Zhang S Han Y Xiao Q Li H Wu Y . Effectiveness of Bundle Interventions on ICU Delirium: A Meta-Analysis. Critical care medicine. (2021) 49:33546. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000004773

  • 59.

    Korenoski A Li A Kane-Gill SL Seybert AL Smithburger PL . Pharmacologic Management of Delirium in the ICU: A Review of the Literature. Journal of intensive care medicine. (2020) 35:10717. doi: 10.1177/0885066618805965

  • 60.

    Janssen TL Alberts AR Hooft L Mattace-Raso F Mosk CA van der Laan L . Prevention of postoperative delirium in elderly patients planned for elective surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical interventions in aging. (2019) 14:1095117. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S201323

  • 61.

    Khaing K Nair BR . Melatonin for delirium prevention in hospitalized patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of psychiatric research. (2021) 133:18190. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.020

  • 62.

    Kean J Ryan K . Delirium detection in clinical practice and research: critique of current tools and suggestions for future development. Journal of psychosomatic research. (2008) 65:2559. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.05.024

  • 63.

    Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare , 2006. Delirium Clinical Care Standard. [Internet]. Sydney.

  • 64.

  • 65.

    Fu S Lopes GS Pagali SR Thorsteinsdottir B LeBrasseur NK Wen A et al . Ascertainment of Delirium Status Using Natural Language Processing From Electronic Health Records. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. (2022) 77:52430. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glaa275

  • 66.

    Ely EW Inouye SK Bernard GR Gordon S Francis J May L et al . Delirium in mechanically ventilated patients: validity and reliability of the confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU). JAMA. (2001) 286:270346. doi: 10.1001/jama.286.21.2703

  • 67.

    Inouye SK Van Dyck CH Alessi CA Balkin S Siegal AP Horwitz RI . Clarifying confusion: the confusion assessment method. A new method for detection of delirium. Ann Intern Med. (1990) 113:9418. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-113-12-941

  • 68.

    Shi Q Warren L Saposnik G Macdermid JC . Confusion assessment method: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. (2013) 9:135970. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S49520

  • 69.

    Hoch J Bauer JM Bizer M Arnold C Benzinger P . Nurses' competence in recognition and management of delirium in older patients: development and piloting of a self-assessment tool. BMC Geriatr. (2022) 22:879. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03573-8

  • 70.

    European Delirium Association, & American Delirium Society . The DSM-5 criteria, level of arousal and delirium diagnosis: inclusiveness is safer. BMC medicine. (2014) 12:141. doi: 10.1186/s12916-014-0141-2

  • 71.

    American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing (2013).

  • 72.

    Mitchell ML Kean S Rattray JE Hull AM Davis C Murfield JE et al . A family intervention to reduce delirium in hospitalised ICU patients: A feasibility randomised controlled trial. Intensive & critical care nursing. (2017) 40:7784. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2017.01.001

  • 73.

    Kotfis K Van Diem-Zaal I Williams Roberson S Sietnicki M Van Den Boogaard M Shehabi Y et al . The future of intensive care: delirium should no longer be an issue. Crit Care. (2022) 26:200. doi: 10.1186/s13054-022-04077-y

  • 74.

    Balas MC Vasilevskis EE Olsen KM Schmid KK Shostrom V Cohen MZ et al . Effectiveness and safety of the awakening and breathing coordination, delirium monitoring/management, and early exercise/mobility (ABCDE) bundle. Crit Care Med. (2014) 42:102436. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000000129

  • 75.

    Colombo R Corona A Praga F Minari C Giannotti C Castelli A et al . A reorientation strategy for reducing delirium in the critically ill. Results of an interventional study. Minerva Anestesiol. (2012) 78:102633.

  • 76.

    Guo Y Fan Y . A preoperative, nurse-led intervention program reduces acute postoperative delirium. J Neurosci Nurs. (2016) 48:22935. doi: 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000220

  • 77.

    Patel J Baldwin J Bunting P Laha S . The effect of a multicomponent multidisciplinary bundle of interventions on sleep and delirium in medical and surgical intensive care patients. Anaesthesia. (2014) 69:5409. doi: 10.1111/anae.12638

  • 78.

    Allen J Alexander E . Prevention, recognition, and management of delirium in the intensive care unit. Aacn Adv Crit Care. (2012) 23:5–11; quiz 12–3.

  • 79.

    Zaubler TS Murphy K Rizzuto L Santos R Skotzko C Giordano J et al . Quality improvement and cost savings with multicomponent delirium interventions: replication of the Hospital Elder Life Program in a community hospital. Psychosomatics. (2013) 54:21926. doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2013.01.010

  • 80.

    Guo Y Sun L Li L Jia P Zhang J Jiang H et al . Impact of multicomponent, nonpharmacologic interventions on perioperative cortisol and melatonin levels and postoperative delirium in elderly oral cancer patients. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. (2016) 62:1127. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2015.10.009

  • 81.

    Brummel NE Girard TD . Preventing delirium in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Clin. (2013) 29:5165. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2012.10.007

  • 82.

    Elliott R Mckinley S Cistulli P Fien M . Characterisation of sleep in intensive care using 24-hour polysomnography: an observational study. Crit Care. (2013) 17:R46. doi: 10.1186/cc12565

  • 83.

    Hu RF Jiang XY Chen J Zeng Z Chen XY Li Y et al . Non-pharmacological interventions for sleep promotion in the intensive care unit. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2015) 2018:CD008808. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008808.pub2

  • 84.

    Stuck A Clark MJ Connelly CD . Preventing intensive care unit delirium: a patient-centered approach to reducing sleep disruption. Dimens Crit Care Nurs. (2011) 30:31520. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0b013e31822fa97c

  • 85.

    Young J Murthy L Westby M Akunne A O'mahony R Guideline Development Group . Diagnosis, prevention, and management of delirium: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ. (2010) 341:c3704. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c3704

  • 86.

    Barr J Fraser GL Puntillo K Ely EW Gelinas C Dasta JF et al . Clinical practice guidelines for the management of pain, agitation, and delirium in adult patients in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. (2013) 41:263306. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e3182783b72

  • 87.

    Devlin JW Skrobik Y Gélinas C Needham DM Slooter AJ Pandharipande PP et al . Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of pain, agitation/sedation, delirium, immobility, and sleep disruption in adult patients in the ICU. Crit Care Med. (2018) 46:e82573. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003299

  • 88.

    Kamdar BB King LM Collop NA Sakamuri S Colantuoni E Neufeld KJ et al . The effect of a quality improvement intervention on perceived sleep quality and cognition in a medical ICU. Crit Care Med. (2013) 41:8009. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e3182746442

  • 89.

    Mistraletti G Pelosi P Mantovani ES Berardino M Gregoretti C . Delirium: clinical approach and prevention. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. (2012) 26:31126. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2012.07.001

  • 90.

    Vidan MT Sanchez E Alonso M Montero B Ortiz J Serra JA . An intervention integrated into daily clinical practice reduces the incidence of delirium during hospitalization in elderly patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. (2009) 57:202936. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02485.x

  • 91.

    Bellelli G Moresco R Panina-Bordignon P Arosio B Gelfi C Morandi A et al . Is delirium the cognitive harbinger of frailty in older adults? A review about the existing evidence. Front Med. (2017) 4:188. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2017.00188

  • 92.

    Schweickert WD Poholman MC Pohlman AE Nigos C Pawlike AJ Esbrook CL et al . Early physical and occupational therapy in mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. (2009) 373:187482. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60658-9

  • 93.

    Smith M Meyfroidt G . Critical illness: the brain is always in the line of fire. Intensive Care Med. (2017) 43:8703. doi: 10.1007/s00134-017-4791-3

  • 94.

    Jackson P Khan A . Delirium in critically ill patients. Crit Care Clin. (2015) 31:589603. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2015.03.011

Summary

Keywords

delirium, post-operative, intensive care unit, nursing, multidisciplinary, cognitive impairment

Citation

Ní Chróinín D, Alexandrou E and Frost SA (2023) Delirium in the intensive care unit and its importance in the post-operative context: A review. Front. Med. 10:1071854. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1071854

Received

17 October 2022

Accepted

10 February 2023

Published

30 March 2023

Volume

10 - 2023

Edited by

Zhongheng Zhang, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, China

Reviewed by

Jesus Rico-Feijoo, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Spain

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Danielle Ní Chróinín,

This article was submitted to Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Medicine

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Outline

Cite article

Copy to clipboard


Export citation file


Share article

Article metrics