Delirium is one of the unresolved challenges to healthcare.

Delirium is a serious acute medical condition; its been called a medical emergency. It results in such serious adverse outcomes for so many patients – including death – that in any other condition it would have clinicians searching for information with the same fervour given to cancer or HIV.

Delirium?  It’s a familiar term in and out of hospital describing a distressing experience of disorientation and agitation.  We think we can all recognise the delirious patient, unable to reason, often a danger to themselves and staff.  But in fact most delirium goes undiagnosed as it is a quiet confusion, a brain failing by shut down rather than firing up.  If this is news to you - read on.

Delirium in ICU?

Delirium is the commonest neuropsychiatric condition in hospital, 15% to 25% on general medical wards, up to 60% on surgical wards – critical care 80% in the sickest ventilated patient. Hang on; I am losing some of you. There are no 2 ways about it. Yes there is (and always has been) a currently grossly under diagnosed condition in your ICU that will influence whether the patient lives or dies regardless of APC, vasopressin or low-volume ventilation. It can be diagnosed in 2 minutes in an easy to apply, non-invasive test with no equipment needed. You in the “I just don’t believe it” camp can huff and puff; here is the website that tells it how it is.

This UK website is the first in the country about ICU delirium incidence and outcomes. It teaches you how to detect it in sedated and ventilated patients and it’ll help you to teach others and implement the monitoring in your unit. It informs about what’s known about the management and treatment of delirium with news and developments. Finally there are links and the opportunity to ask questions or express your opinions.

Thanks to the Alzheimer’s Society and Mr J.W. Dalling for having the foresight and imagination to resource this project.