Incidence of confusional syndrome (delirium) in a Latin American university hospital

Background

Little is known about the incidence of delirium and its subtypes in patients admitted to different departments of university hospitals in Latin America.

Objective

To determine the incidence of delirium and the frequency of its subtypes, as well as its associated factors, in patients admitted to different departments of a university hospital in Bogotá, Colombia.

Methods

A cohort of patients over 18 years of age admitted to the internal medicine (IM), geriatrics (GU), general surgery (GSU), orthopaedics (OU) and intensive care unit (ICU) services of a university hospital was followed up between January and June 2018. To detect the presence of delirium, we used the CAM (Confusion Assessment Method) and the CAM-ICU if the patient had decreased communication skills. The delirium subtype was characterised using the RASS (Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale). Patients were assessed on their admission date and then every two days until discharged from the hospital. Those in whom delirium was identified were referred for specialised intra-institutional interdisciplinary management.

Results

A total of 531 patients admitted during the period were assessed. The overall incidence of delirium was 12% (95% CI, 0.3–14.8). They represented 31.8% of patients in the GU, 15.6% in the ICU, 8.7% in IM, 5.1% in the OU, and 3.9% in the GSU. The most frequent clinical display was the mixed subtype, at 60.9%, followed by the normoactive subtype (34.4%) and the hypoactive subtype (4.7%). The factors most associated with delirium were age (adjusted RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05−1.09), the presence of four or more comorbidities (adjusted RR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.31−3.20), and being a patient in the ICU (adjusted RR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.22−3.35).

Conclusions

The incidence of delirium is heterogeneous in the different departments of the university hospital. The highest incidence occurred in patients that were admitted to the GU. The mixed subtype was the most frequent one, and the main associated factors were age, the presence of four or more comorbidities, and being an ICU patient.