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Delirium at the end of life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2020

Silvana Knoepfel ,
Leonie Bode ,
Samuel Gehrke ,
Tobias Spiller ,
Simon Fuchs ,
Jutta Ernst ,
Roland von Känel  and
Soenke Boettger Open the ORCID record for Soenke Boettger [Opens in a new window]
Silvana Knoepfel
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Leonie Bode
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Samuel Gehrke
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Tobias Spiller
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Simon Fuchs
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Jutta Ernst
Affiliation:
Center of Clinical Nursing Science, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Roland von Känel
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Soenke Boettger*
Affiliation:
Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
*
Author for correspondence: Soenke Boettger, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Ramistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

The general in-hospital mortality and interrelationship with delirium are vastly understudied. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the rates of in-hospital mortality and terminal delirium.

Method

In this prospective cohort study of 28,860 patients from 37 services including 718 in-hospital deaths, mortality rates and prevalence of terminal delirium were determined with simple logistic regressions and their respective odds ratios (ORs).

Results

Although overall in-hospital mortality was low (2.5%), substantial variance between services became apparent: Across intensive care services the rate was 10.8% with a 5.8-fold increased risk, across medical services rates were 4.4% and 2.4-fold, whereas at the opposite end, across surgical services rates were 0.7% and 87% reduction, respectively. The highest in-hospital mortality rate occurred on the palliative care services (27.3%, OR 19.45). The general prevalence of terminal delirium was 90.7% and ranged from 83.2% to 100%. Only across intensive care services (98.1%, OR 7.48), specifically medical intensive care (98.1%, OR 7.48) and regular medical services (95.8%, OR 4.12) rates of terminal delirium were increased. In contrast, across medical services (86.4%, OR 0.32) and in particular oncology (73.9%, OR 0.25), pulmonology (72%, OR 0.31) and cardiology (63.2%, OR 0.4) rates were decreased. For the remaining services, rates of terminal delirium were the same.

Significance of results

Although in-hospital mortality was low, the interrelationship with delirium was vast: most patients were delirious at the end of life. The implications of terminal delirium merit further studies.

Keywords

Delirium at the end of lifeIn-hospital mortalityInterrelationship of delirium and deathTerminal delirium
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , June 2021 , pp. 268 - 273
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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