Quantifying the Severity of a Delirium Episode Throughout Hospitalization: the Combined Importance of Intensity and Duration.
The ability to determine which episodes of delirium are likely to lead to poor clinical outcomes has remained a major area of challenge.



To quantify delirium severity and course over an entire hospitalization using several measures, and to evaluate their predictive validity for 30- and 90-day outcomes post-discharge.



Two prospective cohort studies.



Analysis was conducted in two independent cohorts of adult patients aged ≥70.



Nine delirium episode severity measures were examined: (1) measures reflecting delirium intensity (peak Confusion Assessment Method-Severity [CAM-S] and mean CAM-S score), (2) a measure reflecting delirium intensity and duration (sum of all CAM-S scores, sum of all CAM-S scores on delirium days only, peak CAM-S score x days with delirium), (3) measures requiring information on delirium duration and delirium at discharge (total number of delirium days, percentage of delirium days, delirium at discharge), and (4) a measure of cognitive change. Associations of the delirium episode severity measures with 30- and 90-day post-hospital outcomes (death, nursing home placement, and readmission) relevant to delirium were examined.



The delirium episode severity measure that required information on both delirium intensity and duration (sum of all CAM-S scores) was the most strongly associated with 30- and 90-day post-hospital outcomes. Using this measure, the relative risk [95 % confidence interval] for death at 30-days increased across levels of sum of all CAM-S scores from 1.0 (referent) to 2.1 [0.8, 5.4] for 'low,' to 2.9 [1.2, 7.1] for 'moderate,' to 6.4 [2.9, 14.0] for 'high' (p for trend <.01).



The delirium episode severity measure that included both intensity and duration had the strongest association with important post-hospital outcomes.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. svasunil@bidmc.harvard.edu.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. svasunil@bidmc.harvard.edu.
Sarinnapha M
SM
Vasunilashorn
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.
Edward R
ER
Marcantonio
Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.
Yun
Y
Gou
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Margaret A
MA
Pisani
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.
Thomas G
TG
Travison
Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.
Eva M
EM
Schmitt
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Richard N
RN
Jones
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.
Sharon K
SK
Inouye
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
cognitive change; delirium severity; duration; intensity