Delirium in intensive care unit

• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Luís
• Data de Publicação: 1996
• Outros Autores: Alcântara, João
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/article/view/2275
• topic: estado confusional agudo; U.CI.; haloperidol; benzodiazepinas; delirium; ICU; haloperidol; benzo­diazepines

The  most common cause of behavioural disturbances in the Intensive Care Unit (/CU) is the de­ lirium. Its manifestations are: fluctuation of the state of awareness, disturbance of the sleep­ awake cyde, deficit of attention and concentrati­on, disorganized thought that originates incohe­rent speech, disturbances of perception like illu­sions and/or hallucinations, disorientation in time and space, agitation or reduced psychomo­tor activity and disturbed memory. The major causes of delirium in the /CU are: systemic and metabolic diseases, for instance sepsis, renal fai­lure and hepatic failure; exogenous toxic agents, e.g. some drugs; withdrawal from substances upon which the patient has become dependent, like alcohol; and primary intracranial diseases such as infections of the central nervous system. Other factors often coexist like sleep deprivati­on, previous cognitive deficits, fear, anxiety and the patient's personality. Treatment comprises the correction of metabolic and systemic disturban­ces, the suspension of toxics and/or the use of antidotes, the withdrawal treatment, the use of haloperidol and benzodiazepines, and non-phar­ macological actions that reduce the environmen­tal stress and promote the physical and mental well-being.