Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr-Jun;12(2):70-76.
doi: 10.4103/ijciis.ijciis_76_21. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Point prevalence of delirium among critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia: A multicenter observational study

Nada S Alqadheeb  1 , Mai S Hashhoush  1 , Abdulrahman M Alharthy  2 , Nasir Nasim Mahmood  2 , Zahra A Alfardan  2 , Rashid Amin  3 , Khalid A Maghrabi  4 , Mohammed A Almaani  5 , Mahmoud S Alyamany  5 , Farhan Zayed Alenezi  6 , Abdulrahman R Alruwaili  6 , Kasim H Alkhatib  7 , Asia S Rugaan  8 , Faisal S Eltatar  8 , Haifa M Algethamy  9 , Abdullah M Abudayah  10 , Alaa E Ghabashi  11 , Galal B ElRakaiby  11 , Khalid F Alkatheeri  12 , Mohammed I Alarifi  12 , Yousef A Al Mubarak  13 , Nadia H Ismail  14 , Israa H Alnajdi  15 , Mohammed Elrazi I Ahmed  16 , Mariam A Alansari  17 , Ahmed O Alenazi  18 , Osama M Almuslim  19
Affiliations

Point prevalence of delirium among critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia: A multicenter observational study

Nada S Alqadheeb et al. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2022 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Delirium in critically ill patients is independently associated with poor clinical outcomes. There is a scarcity of published data on the prevalence of delirium among critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we sought to determine, in a multicenter fashion, the prevalence of delirium in critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia and explore associated risk factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional point prevalence study was conducted on January 28, 2020, at 14 intensive care units (ICUs) across 3 universities and 11 other tertiary care hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Delirium was screened once using the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist. We excluded patients who were unable to participate in a valid delirium assessment, patients admitted with traumatic brain injury, and patients with documented dementia in their medical charts.

Results: Of the 407 screened ICU patients, 233 patients were enrolled and 45.9% were diagnosed with delirium. The prevalence was higher in mechanically ventilated patients compared to patients not mechanically ventilated (57.5% vs. 33.6%; P < 0.001). In a multivariate model, risk factors independently associated with delirium included age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.021; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.04; P = 0.008), mechanical ventilation (AOR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.34-4.28; P = 0.003), and higher severity of illness (AOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.001-1.021; P = 0.026).

Conclusion: In our study, delirium remains a prevalent complication, with distinct risk factors. Further studies are necessary to investigate long-term outcomes of delirium in critically ill patients in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Cross-sectional studies; Saudi Arabia; delirium; intensive care units; prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of patients in the study. ICU: Intensive care unit, RASS: Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale, TBI: Traumatic brain injury, ICDSC: Intensive Care Delirium Sscreening Checklist
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overall prevalence of delirium
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of delirium by hospital. WR: Western Region, ER: Eastern Region, CR: Central Region
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of delirium by mechanically ventilated
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
    1. Ely EW, Inouye SK, Bernard GR, Gordon S, Francis J, May L, et al. Delirium in mechanically ventilated patients: Validity and reliability of the confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU) JAMA. 2001;286:2703–10. - PubMed
    1. Ely EW, Margolin R, Francis J, May L, Truman B, Dittus R, et al. Evaluation of delirium in critically ill patients: Validation of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) Crit Care Med. 2001;29:1370–9. - PubMed
    1. Pun BT, Ely EW. The importance of diagnosing and managing ICU delirium. Chest. 2007;132:624–36. - PubMed
    1. Ely EW, Gautam S, Margolin R, Francis J, May L, Speroff T, et al. The impact of delirium in the intensive care unit on hospital length of stay. Intensive Care Med. 2001;27:1892–900. - PMC - PubMed