Prevention & Management of Acute Cognitive Dysfunction in Critically Ill Adults in ICU

Abstract

The main four domains for diagnosing delirium as listed by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V) are; disturbance of consciousness, change in cognition, development over a short period, and fluctuation. Several symptoms of delirium also occur in other psychiatric conditions as in dementia and depression and these psychiatric conditions may also coexist in the same patient, which can make the diagnosis problematic. Distinguishing delirium from other psychiatric problems is crucial as it can be the first indicator of a serious medical problem, which can be treatable, and because it has been associated with poor outcomes. Delirium is a nonspecific but generally reversible manifestation of acute illness that appears to have many causes. The pathophysiology of delirium per se is ill defined but there are a number of theories regarding the pathological changes in the brain that result in and from delirium.