The 6- and 12-month outcomes of older medical inpatients who recover from subsyndromal delirium.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the 6- and 12-month outcomes of patients who recovered from subsyndromal delirium (SSD) by 8 weeks with the outcomes of patients who did not recover or did not have an index episode.


METHODS
Secondary analysis of data collected for a cohort study of the prognosis of delirium.


METHODS
University-affiliated primary acute care hospital.


METHODS
Older medical inpatients with prevalent, incident, or no SSD were classified into three mutually exclusive groups at 8 weeks (SSD-recovered, SSD-not recovered, no SSD) and followed up at 6 and 12 months.


METHODS
The primary hierarchical composite outcome was death, institutionalization, or cognitive or functional decline at 6 and 12 months. In secondary analyses, components of the primary outcome were examined separately.


RESULTS
Of the 129 patients assessed at 8 weeks, 51, 47, and 31 met criteria for SSD-recovered, SSD-not recovered and no SSD, respectively. At 6 and 12 months, the primary and secondary outcomes of the SSD-recovered group were better than the outcomes of the SSD-not recovered group and, for the most part, intermediate between the outcomes of the SSD-not recovered and no SSD groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Recovery from SSD appears to predict better longer-term outcomes than no recovery. Efforts to identify and treat SSD in older medical inpatients may improve outcomes.
Cole
Martin G
MG
Department of Psychiatry, St. Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. martin.cole@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
McCusker
Jane
J
Ciampi
Antonio
A
Belzile
Eric
E
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003693:Delirium / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome