Predisposing and Precipitating Factors for Delirium in the Very Old (≥80 Years): A Prospective Cohort Study of 3,076 Patients

Can admission Braden skin score predict delirium in older adults in the intensive care unit? Results from a multicenter study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether a low Braden Skin Score (BSS), reflecting an increased risk of pressure injury, could predict the risk of delirium in older patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

BACKGROUND

Delirium, a common acute encephalopathy syndrome in older ICU patients, is associated with prolonged hospital stay, long-term cognitive impairment and increased mortality. However, few studies have explored the relationship between BSS and delirium.

DESIGN

Multicenter cohort study.

METHODS

The study included 24,123 older adults from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database and 1090 older adults from the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD), all of whom had a record of BSS on admission to the ICU. We used structured query language to extract relevant data from the electronic health records. Delirium, the primary outcome, was primarily diagnosed by the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU or the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist. Logistic regression models were used to validate the association between BSS and outcome. A STROBE checklist was the reporting guide for this study.

RESULTS

The median age within the MIMIC-IV and eICU-CRD databases was approximately 77 and 75 years, respectively, with 11,195 (46.4%) and 524 (48.1%) being female. The median BSS at enrollment in both databases was 15 (interquartile range: 13, 17). Multivariate logistic regression showed a negative association between BSS on ICU admission and the prevalence of delirium. Similar patterns were found in the eICU-CRD database.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found a significant negative relationship between ICU admission BSS and the prevalence of delirium in older patients.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The BSS, which is simple and accessible, may reflect the health and frailty of older patients. It is recommended that BSS assessment be included as an essential component of delirium management strategies for older patients in the ICU.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This is a retrospective cohort study, and no patients or the public were involved in the design and conduct of the study.

Ten steps to transform ideas into product innovations: An interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing and engineering

AIMS

To describe the development process of a device from the conception of the idea to the first contact with the commercial environment, and to demonstrate its practical application through an interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing and engineering for the design of a protective device for peripheral venous catheters.

BACKGROUND

Nurses are key agents for identifying unresolved needs or problems related to nursing care. To address these needs, creative ideation processes are often triggered among nurses to seek technological answers to these challenges.

RESULTS

The ten steps to develop a device are presented: (1) detecting an unsatisfied clinical need; (2) searching for preexisting marketed products; (3) searching for patents; (4) maintaining confidentiality throughout the process; (5) obtaining institutional support; (6) forming a multidisciplinary team; (7) developing the idea; (8) applying for a patent; (9) building the prototype; (10) marketing the device. This methodology was applied to design a protective device for peripheral venous catheters in hospitalized patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses can play a key role in the promotion of healthcare innovation in their field to improve procedures, thanks to their direct contact with patients, and by providing their insight on devices that can enhance patient care. The successful interdisciplinary collaboration between nurses and engineers can provide a response to relevant clinical problems such as the manipulation or removal of peripheral venous catheters.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND/OR HEALTH POLICY

A hospital policy is required to encourage the participation of nurses in innovative actions. Furthermore, it is important to support nurse leaders who can play a pivotal role in incorporating creativity into work environments and empowering other nurses to innovatively address clinical issues.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This article describes the process for developing a health device.

Hospital admission and the occurrence of delirium in older adults with physical frailty: cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relationship between hospitalization and the occurrence of delirium in older adults with physical frailty.

METHOD

Cross-sectional study carried out in a public hospital in southern Brazil. Hospitalized older adults aged ≥ 60 years participated. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, physical frailty phenotype tests were performed and the Confusion Assessment Method was used. Descriptive analyzes were carried out and odds ratio values were estimated for the frailty and delirium variables.

RESULTS

Of the 320 older adults evaluated, 21.14% presented delirium, 49% were identified as pre-frail and 36.2% as frail. Of those affected by delirium, 71.6% were classified as frail and 28.3% as pre-frail (p < 0.001). An association was observed between the occurrence of delirium and frailty (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38), age ≥ 80 years (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.32), epilepsy (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.76), dementia (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.37 to 1.82), and history of stroke (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26).

CONCLUSION

There was a high frequency of pre-frail and frail older adults, and the occurrence of delirium in frail was significantly higher. Special attention should be paid to frail older adults to prevent the occurrence of delirium during hospitalization.

Proteomics for the Discovery of Clinical Delirium Biomarkers: A Systematic Review of Major Studies

Delirium represents a significant health care burden, diagnosed in more than 2 million elderly Americans each year. In the surgical population, delirium remains the most common complication among elderly patients, and is associated with longer hospital stays, higher costs of care, increased mortality, and functional impairment. The pathomechanism of disease is poorly understood, with current diagnostic approaches somewhat subjective and arbitrary, and definitive diagnostic biomarkers are currently lacking. Despite the recent interest in delirium research, biomarker discovery for it remains new. Most attempts to discover biomarkers are targeted studies that seek to assess the involvement of one or more members of a focused panel of candidates in delirium. For a more unbiased, system-biology view, we searched literature from Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cochrane Central, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Dimensions between 2016 and 2021 for untargeted proteomic discovery studies for biomarkers of delirium conducted on human geriatric subjects. Two reviewers conducted an independent review of all search results and resolved discordance by consensus. From an overall search of 1172 publications, 8 peer-reviewed studies met our defined inclusion criteria. The 370 unique perioperative biomarkers identified in these reports are enriched in pathways involving activation of the immune system, inflammatory response, and the coagulation cascade. The most frequently identified biomarker was interleukin-6 (IL-6). By reviewing the distribution of protein biomarker candidates from these studies, we conclude that a panel of proteins, rather than a single biomarker, would allow for discriminating delirium cases from noncases. The paucity of hypothesis-generating studies in the peer-reviewed literature also suggests that a system-biology view of delirium pathomechanisms has yet to fully emerge.

Fatores de risco associados ao delirium em idosos hospitalizados para tratamento clínico

Objetivo: identificar fatores de risco associados ao desenvolvimento de delirium em pessoas idosas hospitalizadas para tratamento clínico. Método: revisão integrativa da literatura. Busca realizada em fevereiro de 2022 através da aplicação de estratégia de busca em portais e bases de dados eletrônicas, como a Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, o PubMed/MEDLINE e o Web of Science. Resultados: a busca resultou em 965 artigos. Após retirada de duplicatas, 583 tiveram títulos e resumos lidos. Respeitados critérios de elegibilidade, chegou-se a 127 estudos para leitura completa, dos quais 110 foram excluídos e 17 analisados, totalizando amostra de 6.170 pacientes. Foram incluídos estudos com pacientes ≥ 60 anos de idade, tratamento clínico, avaliação de fatores de risco para delirium; e excluídos estudos que utilizaram instrumentos não validados, relatos de casos, teses, monografias, artigos de revisão ou que não responderam à questão de pesquisa. Os fatores de risco mais encontrados foram a presença de déficit cognitivo e demência. Outros fatores também encontrados foram: idade avançada, presença de febre/infecção, desidratação, déficit funcional, uso de psicotrópicos antes do internamento, severidade das doenças de base, polifarmácia, déficit visual, dor ao repouso, presença de diabetes mellitus, fragilidade e tempo de internamento na emergência. Conclusões: os estudos apontam diversos fatores de risco associados ao delirium e destacam a relevância do reconhecimento do delirium pela equipe assistencial. Ação rápida e eficaz na prevenção do delirium em idosos depende da sua identificação. A equipe de saúde deve estar atenta durante o cuidado de populações vulneráveis para que o rastreio de sinais, muitas vezes flutuantes, seja facilitado.

Escaping delirium: Designing an escape room active learning experience for geriatric resource nurses

Use of a delirium escape room is an effective teaching modality that has demonstrated the application of didactic knowledge into clinical practice. Positive comments were shared by all participating nurses. In addition, this learning method was found to be effective for experienced as well as newly licensed nurses. This team building activity evolved into discussions about real life patients who experienced delirium and each group was able to connect the contributing factors with their patients. Communication, coordination, and collaboration were key components as to what lead to a successful escape for all in the end. Participant's evaluations revealed positive feedback indicating appreciation for this hands-on learning activity and "making it an enjoyable and memorable experience."