Delirium is a disturbance of consciousness characterized by an acute change or fluctuating course of mental status, inattention, and the inability to receive, process, store, or recall information. It is a common serious, costly, under-recognized, and often fatal complication of a high proportion of older hospitalized patients and associated with significant burden and poor outcomes. Compared with non-delirious patients, the delirious patients may have increased risk of mortality, length of stay, time on ventilator, costs, hospital acquired complications, incidence of dementia, long-term cognitive impairment. Even after hospital discharge, twofold independent increased risks of mortality persist for about 12 months.
Delirium has been studied
Delirium has been studied