Documented delirium in the intensive care unit: associated factors and its relationship with in-hospital mortality

Santillana-Pilco C.; Huarcaya-Victoria J.; Ccasani-Paile M.; Moncada-Mapelli E. · Anales de la Facultad de Medicina (2026) · DOI: 10.15381/anales.v87i1.32853

Resumen

Introduction. Delirium is a common complication in critically ill patients and is associated with greater clinical complexity, prolonged hospital stay, and increased resource use. In retrospective studies, its identification depends on clinical documentation, which may influence its estimation. Objective. To identify clinical factors associated with documented deliriumin adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and to examine its relationship with in-hospital mortality. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted in adults admitted to the ICU of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital between January and December 2023. Delirium was defined as an explicit diagnosis recorded in the medical chart. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without delirium, and logistic regression models were used to estimate crude and adjusted associations with deliriumand in-hospital mortality. Results. Of 229 patients, 51 had documented delirium. Patients with delirium were older (70 vs 59 years; p = 0.001) and had longer ICU stays (28 vs 17 days; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, age, male sex, ICU length of stay, and prior exposure to anticholinergic drugs were independently associated with delirium. Deliriumwas not associated with mortality in crude analysis (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.32–1.42), but showed an inverse association after adjustment (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16–0.94). Conclusions. Delirium identifies patients with greater clinical vulnerability. Its relationship with mortality should be interpreted considering potential recognition biases in record-based studies. © (2026), (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Facultad de Medicina). All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur; Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista