Are geriatric patients with depression at increased risk of developing delirium when admitted to an acute care hospital?
Appraised by: Tiffany L. Reed, D.O., PGY-2, Internal Medicine, The Reading Hospital & Medical Center Date: August 24, 2007 Why did I choose to examine this question? During inpatient geriatrics, we had seen two patients with a known diagnosis of depression develop delirium early in the hospital stay. I wondered if depression alone could increase a patient’s risk of experiencing delirium in the acute care setting. This is cause for concern, of course, because delirium is associated with negative outcomes including prolonged hospital stays, increased comorbid illness, increased rate of long-term care placement, and increased mortality. Upon reviewing the literature, many studies were conflicting as to the relationship between depression and delirium. As pointed out on the first page of the selected article, 8 studies found an association, and 8 did not. Reference: McAvay GJ, VanNess PH, Bogardus ST, et al. Depressive symptoms and the risk of incident delirium in older hospitalized adults
