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Delirium

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Procedures and Protocols in the Neurocritical Care Unit

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Abstract

Delirium is one of the most commonly encountered complications in patients admitted to neurocritical care units. The prevalence and incidence of delirium varies across care settings with prevalence rates as high as 87% among elderly patients admitted to the intensive care units. Delirium results from a complex interplay of predisposing factors, precipitating factors and context of care. The core symptoms of delirium include disturbances in attention, awareness and another area of cognition. It is estimated that 30–40% of delirium cases are preventable. Delirium is considered a medical emergency and early identification and treatment of the underlying medical condition is important. Treatment of delirium includes simultaneous management of behavioral disturbances and treatment of underlying medical condition. Critically ill patients in the ICU who develop delirium have higher morbidity burden including increased length of ICU stays, longer duration on mechanical ventilation, worsened cognitive function, and increased costs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Psychiatry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Arpit Aggarwal & Oluwole Popoola

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  1. Arpit Aggarwal
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  2. Oluwole Popoola
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Correspondence to Arpit Aggarwal .

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  1. Department of Neurology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA

    Niraj Arora

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Aggarwal, A., Popoola, O. (2022). Delirium. In: Arora, N. (eds) Procedures and Protocols in the Neurocritical Care Unit. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90225-4_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90225-4_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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