Search Tag: delirium
2025 15 Apr
Critically ill patients, particularly those who experience delirium or require invasive mechanical ventilation, are at high risk for long-term cognitive impairments. Ventilator-associated brain injury is an emerging area of research, with experts emphasising the need for improved assessment tools and advanced statistical methods to evaluate brain dysfunction...Read more
2025 16 Jan
Delirium is characterised by a sudden onset of cognitive changes, often accompanied by either altered consciousness or disorganised thinking. It is commonly observed in the post-surgical ICU, affecting up to 50-70% of patients, depending on individual risk factors. Several factors contribute to ICU delirium, including pre-existing and acute medical...Read more
2024 01 Oct
Early mobilisation in critically ill patients can improve outcomes during and after critical care. However, it requires a coordinated effort from the multidisciplinary critical care team. Effective early mobilisation strategies in the ICU require a structured and individualised approach, ensuring safety and maximising benefits for critically ill...Read more
2024 09 Apr
Delirium is a common psychiatric syndrome in critically ill patients, associated with high mortality rates and long-term cognitive decline. Recent trials on medication-based treatments have not shown significant benefits, leading to a shift towards nonpharmacologic approaches. The Society of Critical Care Medicine recommends comprehensive...Read more
2023 06 Dec
Checklists are cognitive aids that ensure task completion, enhance adherence to best practices, and prevent errors. In the complex environment of the ICU, checklists have been adopted to improve leadership, team performance, and patient outcomes. While research over the past two decades supports the efficacy of specific ICU checklists, the diverse...Read more
2022 25 May
In this article, the authors aim to summarise the current management of delirium, emphasising new publications and possible new studies that will shed light on delirium management strategy. Introduction According to an updated nomenclature of delirium after an interdisciplinary panel of experts from ten medical societies (Slooter et al....Read more
2022 02 Nov
Live Virtual format (via Zoom webinar): Nov. 2-5, 2022 Unlimited On-Demand format: Oct. 20 - Dec. 19, 2022 Find Johns Hopkins on Social Media Read more
2022 10 May
Critical care physicians often use ineffective treatments that lack evidence-based data. This is especially true for delirium. To date, no medications have demonstrated therapeutic benefit for this condition. Medical treatment is either targeted toward preventing delirium or treating agitation associated with it. Behavioural interventions are rarely...Read more
2022 08 Mar
Delirium is the most common cerebral dysfunction in the ICU, affecting nearly one-third of patients. Based on its clinical manifestation, it can be divided into a hypoactive, hyperactive, or mixed motor subtype. Patients with hyperactive delirium are usually in an agitated state of mind and can display symptoms of aggression and restlessness. Patients...Read more
2022 08 Feb
Pain is one of the most distressful symptoms among critically ill patients, along with shortness of breath and delirium. Pain is reported by 38 to 51% of patients at risk of dying. Delirium is highly prevalent among patients who are critically ill and is associated with worse short-term and long-term outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, longer...Read more
2021 30 Mar
Delirium affects nearly 60% of patients in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Sleep-wake disruption is a common risk factor in critically ill patients. However, to date, few SICU-focused delirium interventions have been implemented, even though factors like sleep-wake disruption are modifiable. A study was conducted to determine the effect...Read more
2021 12 Jan
According to findings from a large study, COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU in the early months of the pandemic had a higher burden of delirium and coma than is typically found in patients with acute respiratory failure. The findings are published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Study investigators tracked the incidence of delirium and...Read more
2020 14 Sep
T he process of ageing cannot be defined by a number. The World Health Organization classifies anyone over the age of 65 as elderly. However, it is important to understand that ageing is a complex process, and we must consider physiological and cognitive vulnerabilities when talking about ageing as they can make some elderly people more prone to...Read more
2020 11 Aug
T hey say that in the world of the intensive care unit (ICU), there is no night. It can be qualified as a lesser day, but not really as a night. The hustle and bustle may be slower, patient flow and activity may be less, conversations may be negligible, and the staff on duty may be limited, but patient care continues, alarms are in place, and the...Read more
2020 19 Feb
Delirium is a common problem in patients admitted to the intensive care unit and is associated with increased length of hospital stay, high mortality and long term cognitive impairment. Delayed diagnosis can often make things worse. Delirium is known to fluctuate in its presentation and its severity can also vary. Delirium is generally classified...Read more
2019 08 Aug
Consequences of psychological distress in the ICU needs to be addressed, due to the frequent occurrence of anxiety, delirium, acute PTSD and depression in both patients and family members. By addressing these key issues healthcare costs and usage could be reduced. Previously, it was thought that stress could be reduced through a paternalistic...Read more
2019 26 Jun
Increasing focus on ICU utilisation and survivorship has also resulted in a greater focus on the long-term consequences of critical illness. Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) is characterised by physical, cognitive, and emotional manifestations and can have a long-lasting impact on survivors of ICU as well as their families and caregivers. ...Read more
2019 01 Jun
Dr. Ulf Guenther from Germany made an excellent presentation today at Euroanaesthesia 2019 #EA19 on assessing delirium in the ICU. Dr. Guenther has spent a large part of his research career dealing with delirium, and he shared his insight with respect to the clinical impact, diagnosis, risk factors, and management of delirium in the ICU. According...Read more
2019 30 May
The intensive care unit environment can be extremely stressful, even if they provide some of the best care in the world. It is believed that a patient in the ICU has their sleep interrupted approximately every three minutes either through noise, lights, or medical intervention. Up to 80% of patients in the ICU suffer from some form of delirium, and...Read more
2019 14 Mar
Sleep guardians - a quality improvement initiative at the Lancashire and South Cumbria Critical Care Network (LSCCCN) to reduce and implement change while managing delirium in critical care patients Introduction Up to 85% of critical care patients may experience some form of delirium, but it can be very easily missed (Inouye et al....Read more
2019 23 Jan
Introduction Up to 85% of critical care patients may experience some form of delirium, but it can be very easily missed (Inouye et al. 2001; Page 2008) particularly in a very busy 24 bedded General Critical Care Unit that is also the regional centre for Trauma and neurosurgery. The unit admits both level 2 and 3 patients within the same clinical...Read more
2018 08 Aug
A randomised controlled trial demonstrates that music intervention to prevent delirium among older patients is one of few strategies that provide support in a critical care setting. This study builds on non-pharmacologic approaches for delirium prevention by addressing the pathophysiologic mechanisms that contribute to delirium; neurotransmitter...Read more
2018 14 Apr
Nurses leading through innovation The one thing I would change to improve our healthcare system won’t take magic —it’s achievable today. I would empower all direct care nurses as bedside leaders, innovators and catalysts for change. Why? Because empowering our clinicians at the front line of care results in better patient...Read more
2018 16 Mar
More than half of ICU patients in a new study experienced delirium for long periods during their stay. Sedative-associated delirium was most common, while longer periods of hypoxic delirium and unclassified delirium were associated with worse cognitive function at follow-up one year after hospital discharge. You might also like : Sedative prevents...Read more
2018 06 Mar
Results of a randomised, placebo-controlled trial showed that a low dose of the sedative dexmedetomidine given at night may prevent delirium in critically ill patients. In this study of 100 ICU patients, half of them were randomly assigned to receive intravenous dexmedetomidine; the other half were given the placebo. The trial published online in...Read more
2018 27 Feb
More than half of ICU patients in a newly published study experienced delirium for long periods during their stay. Sedative-associated delirium was most common, while longer periods of hypoxic delirium and unclassified delirium were associated with worse cognitive function at follow-up one year after hospital discharge. The researchers write that...Read more
2018 21 Feb
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often requires prolonged and complicated hospital courses putting patients at risk for intensive care unit (ICU) delirium. Antipsychotics are prescribed to decrease the severity and duration of ICU delirium; however, these drugs are associated with many adverse effects including respiratory failure. "Given...Read more