Category: Critical Care
Keywords: ICU, delirium, antipsychotic (PubMed Search)
Posted: 6/18/2024 by Quincy Tran, MD, PhD
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Title: Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Delirium in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
We all do it. When our patients in the ICU develop delirium, we would give them an antipsychotic, commonly quetiapine (Brand name Seroquel), and all is good. However, results from this most recent meta-analysis may suggest otherwise.
Settings: This is a meta-analysis from 5 Randomized Control Trials. Intervention was antipsychotic vs. placebo or just standard of care.
Participants: The 5 trials included A total of 1750 participants. All trials used Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU or Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist to measure delirium.
Outcome measurement: Delirium – and Coma-Free days
Study Results:
The use of any antipsychotic (typical or atypical) did not result in a statistically significant difference in delirium- and coma-free days among patients with ICU delirium (Mean Difference of 0.9 day; 95% CI -0.32 to 2.12).
Similarly, atypical antipsychotic medication also did not result in difference of delirium- and coma-free days: Mean difference of 0.56 day; 95% CI -0.85 to 1.97).
ICU length of stay was also not different in the group receiving antipsychotic: Mean difference -0.47 day, 95% CI -1.89 to 0.95).
Discussion:
The authors used both delirium -free and coma-free days as a composite outcome because they reasoned that delirium cannot be evaluated in unresponsive patients. This composite outcome might have affected the true incidence of delirium and the outcome of delirium-free days.
This meta-analysis would be different from previous ones that aimed to answer the same question. Previous studies compared either haloperidol vs a broader range of other medication (atypical antipsychotic, benzodiazepines) (Reference 2) or included all ICU patients with or without delirium who received haloperidol vs. placebo (Reference 3). Overall, those previous studies also reported that the use of haloperidol has not resulted in improvement of delirium-free days.
Conclusion:
There is evidence that the use of anti-psychotic medication does not result in difference of delirium- or coma-free days among critically ill patients with delirium.
1.Carayannopoulos KL, Alshamsi F, Chaudhuri D, Spatafora L, Piticaru J, Campbell K, Alhazzani W, Lewis K. Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Delirium in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Crit Care Med. 2024 Jul 1;52(7):1087-1096. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000006251. Epub 2024 Mar 15. PMID: 38488422.
2. Andersen-Ranberg NC, Barbateskovic M, Perner A, Oxenbøll Collet M, Musaeus Poulsen L, van der Jagt M, Smit L, Wetterslev J, Mathiesen O, Maagaard M. Haloperidol for the treatment of delirium in critically ill patients: an updated systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis. Crit Care. 2023 Aug 26;27(1):329. doi: 10.1186/s13054-023-04621-4. PMID: 37633991; PMCID: PMC10463604.
3. Huang J, Zheng H, Zhu X, Zhang K, Ping X. The efficacy and safety of haloperidol for the treatment of delirium in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jul 27;10:1200314. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1200314. PMID: 37575982; PMCID: PMC10414537.
