Icudelirium May 2026

If the patient is arousable but shows signs of muddled logic, this feature is marked. It is tested through simple "Yes/No" questions (e.g., "Will a stone float on water?") or simple commands (e.g., "Hold up this many fingers"). How a Diagnosis is Made

A patient is considered "CAM-ICU positive" (delirious) if they exhibit , plus EITHER Feature 3 OR Feature 4 . Practical "Helpful" Strategies for Families icudelirium

hoice of analgesia and sedation (avoiding benzodiazepines). D elirium: Assess, Prevent, and Manage. If the patient is arousable but shows signs

If you are looking for helpful features in a caregiving sense, the (often shortened to A2F) is the gold standard for prevention and management: A ssess, Prevent, and Manage Pain. This refers to any state other than "alert and calm

This refers to any state other than "alert and calm." It is measured using scales like the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) . A patient is positive for this feature if their RASS score is anything other than zero.

This is the hallmark feature of delirium. It is often tested by asking a patient to squeeze the clinician's hand every time they hear a specific letter (usually "A") in a read-out string of letters like "SAVEAHAART".

The CAM-ICU algorithm identifies delirium based on :