Introduction:

Delirium is a common condition in critical care patients, and is associated with multiple risk factors, poor prognosis and high mortality rate.

Material and methods:

An observational analytic study was conducted in a the Intensive Care Unit during 2017-2018, documenting delirium prevalence, risk factors and their association with mortality, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, using IBM© SPSS© Statistics V24.

Results:

563 patients were included, finding a prevalence of 14% (n = 79). The most significant risk factors were preexisting dementia (OR 9.0), sedation (OR 6.7), alcohol abuse (OR 5.0), non-invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 2.8) and age > 67 years (OR 2.7). The general mortality rate was 10.1% (13.9% in patients with delirium, 10.3% in hyperactive/mixed delirium and 23.8% in hypoactive delirium, OR 1.93, CI 95% 0.88-4.19, p = 0.12). Absence of non-pharmacological treatment was associated with higher mortality (30.8 vs 10.6%, OR 2.74, CI 95% 1.02-7.39, p = 0.05).

Conclusion:

There is a low prevalence of delirium in our unit, with differences in delirium types and risk factors. Hypoactive delirium and absence of non-pharmacological treatment were associated with higher mortality.