Incidence, risk factors, and cumulative risk of delirium among ICU patients: A case-control study

OBJECTIVES: Delirium is a common acute cognitive impairment syndrome among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This study was aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and cumulative risk of delirium among ICU patients. METHODS: A case-control study including clinical records of 452 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale. RESULTS: We found that 163 out of the 452 patients (36.1%) had delirium. Multivariate analysis showed that use of sedatives, length of ICU hospitalization, and physical restraint were independent risk factors for delirium. The additive effect of all three factors resulted to an odds ratio of 30.950. CONCLUSION: The incidence of delirium remained high. Thus, nurses shall strengthen the monitoring of delirium, regularly access the patient's level of calmness, and limit the use of physical restraint.