Introduction:

a risk factor associated with complications from COVID-19 is age over 60 years, on the other hand, delirium has been shown to be associated with an increase in mortality from any cause, making it a serious medical condition.

Material and methods:

observational, retrospective, longitudinal and comparative study in patients older than 65 years with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The cumulative individual survival probability was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier metho d based on the presence or absence of delirium during hospitalization, and the log-rank test identified whether there was a significant difference in survival between groups.

Results:

349 patients were recruited, the age ranged between 65 and 94 years, with a mean of 72.2; 266 (76.2%) did not develop delirium, while 83 (23.7%) did develop it. In the 30-day follow-up, there were 118 deaths in the group of patients without delirium (55.6% survival), and 56 deaths in the group of patients with delirium (32.5% survival), p = 0.000.

Conclusion:

survival in geriatric patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia who develop delirium is significantly lower when compared to those who do not.