title: The 6- and 12-month outcomes of older medical inpatients who recover from subsyndromal delirium.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. martin.cole@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
authors.forename: Martin G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCusker
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciampi
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Belzile
mesh_terms: 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