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62/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 62 out of 100. How common it is

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Objectives To describe the occurrence of delirium in a cohort of older medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients and its short-term duration in the hospital and to determine the association between preexisting dementia and the occurrence of delirium. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Fourteen-bed medical ICU of an 800-bed university teaching hospital. Participants One hundred eighteen consecutive patients aged 65 and older admitted to the ICU. Measurements Baseline characteristics were obtained through surrogate interviews and medical chart review. Dementia was determined using two validated surrogate-rated instruments. Delirium was assessed daily in the ICU using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) for the ICU (CAM-ICU). After discharge from the ICU, patients were followed for up to 7 days using the CAM. Results Delirium was present in 37 of 118 (31%) patients on admission. Only 45 patients had a normal mental status on admission, of whom 14 (31%) became delirious during their hospital stay. In the post-ICU period, delirium occurred in 40% of patients. Almost half of patients with delirium in the ICU had persistent delirium in the post-ICU period. Overall, 83 of 118 (70%) had delirium during hospitalization. Stupor or coma occurred in 44% of the patients overall, and 89% of survivors of stupor/coma progressed to delirium. Patients with dementia were 40% more likely to be delirious (relative risk = 1.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.1-1.7), even after controlling for comorbidity, baseline functional status, severity of illness, and invasive procedures. Conclusion Delirium is a frequent complication in older ICU patients and often persists beyond their ICU stay. Delirium in older ICU persons is a dynamic and complex process. Dementia is an important predisposing risk factor for the development of delirium in this population during and after the ICU stay.

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APA 7th

McNicoll, L., Pisani, M. A., Zhang, Y., Ely, E. W., Siegel, M. D., & Inouye, S. K. (2003). Delirium in the intensive care unit: occurrence and clinical course in older patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0579.2003.00201.x

Vancouver

McNicoll L, Pisani MA, Zhang Y, Ely EW, Siegel MD, Inouye SK. Delirium in the intensive care unit: occurrence and clinical course in older patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2003. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0579.2003.00201.x. PMID: 12752832.

BibTeX

@article{mcnicoll2003-12752832,
  author  = {McNicoll, L. and Pisani, M. A. and Zhang, Y. and Ely, E. W. and Siegel, M. D. and Inouye, S. K.},
  title   = {{Delirium in the intensive care unit: occurrence and clinical course in older patients}},
  journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
  year    = {2003},
  doi     = {10.1034/j.1600-0579.2003.00201.x},
  pmid    = {12752832},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0579.2003.00201.x}
}

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Key findings

Results Delirium was present in 37 of 118 (31%) patients on admission.
Overall, 83 of 118 (70%) had delirium during hospitalization.
Stupor or coma occurred in 44% of the patients overall, and 89% of survivors of stupor/coma progressed to delirium.

Why it matters

In this study of older intensive care patients, delirium was common during hospitalization and often persisted afterward, and patients with dementia were more likely to develop it. This concerns delirium in the hospital, not treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Alzheimer's in numbers →

Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants45
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 62/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A cohort study following people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2003 — older than 20 years, still counted
Sample size	1 / 4	45 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	6 / 7	Cited 576 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	23.0 citations a year over 25 year(s) since 2003
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 16.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 3 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 33 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Sharon K. Inouye: h-index 118 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Yale University: institution h-index 1,927 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12752832)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	62 / 100	—

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